


Your Kind of Lover

by WritingBarnes



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bucky Barnes Feels, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Featuring Meg the Cat, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Romance, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-10 00:54:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 20,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6931297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingBarnes/pseuds/WritingBarnes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are some things she should’ve known, like the fact that she was not even close at being a good witch. Oh! And the huge obvious fact that this fake girlfriend-boyfriend thing always sounds better in theory.</p><p>But hey, c’est la vie, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> you can also find me and my writings on writingbarnes.tumblr.com :)
> 
> comments/kudos/etc are greatly appreciated!

 

“It’s haunted, I tell you.” [Y/N] mumbled to the phone cradled between her ear and her shoulder, struggling to carry a pile of thick books with her arms while going up the stairs. “Well, lucky for you, I have found some books that might help… FINE. I’ll do it on my own and you will watch me succeed.” She rolled her eyes before she ended the call. She continued walking up the stairs while trying to put the phone inside her bag with her free hand, almost crashing into a man in front of her.

  
“You need any help with that?” He smiled, gesturing at the books.

 

“Yeah. Can you hold this for a moment, please?” She quickly handed him the book so she could shove her phone inside. Her breath caught in her throat when she finally looked up and saw his face. _Holy shit, this is one very fine specimen._ She quickly shook her head and reached out to take the book back from the stranger.

 

“Sorry. It’s a little heavy.” She sheepishly smiled.

 

“It’s fine.” He frowned a little when she almost lost her balance while trying to carry the book. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

“Yeah. I’ve carried heavier stuff.” She blew out a breath before she gave the man another smile. “Thanks.”

 

She waited for him to walked down the stairs before she continued her exhausting and torturous walk back to her apartment. Her footsteps slowed down when she walked past the door next to her place. Her face contorted into a frown when she heard a faint rustling noise. This has been happening the past week and she was getting tired of being scared. _I’m going to get rid of this spirit once and for all_.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, you’re finally back. Took you long enough.” A scratchy female voice greeted her when she entered her apartment. She raised an eyebrow at the black cat lounging on her dining table.

 

“Fuck off, Meg.” She mumbled as she slipped off her bright red converse shoes.

 

[Y/N] dumped the books on the wooden coffee table and slumped into the couch. She closed her eyes and stretched out her arms on the cool surface of the leather couch.

 

“You’re a weak-ass witch, [Y/N].” She let out a groan when the black cat jumped onto her lap.

 

“Shut up, Meg.” Her lips twitched into a smile when the cat laughed.

 

“You’re really going to do this, aren’t you?” She asked [Y/N], her sky blue eyes fixed on the books [Y/N] just brought home.

 

“Uh-huh.” [Y/N] nodded. “I’m really scared, okay. I don’t like having ghost as a neighbor.” She scratched the back of the cat’s neck and leaned back on the couch.

 

“This is why they kicked you out, [Y/N].” The cat said, oblivious to the slight twitch on [Y/N]’s eyes.

 

* * *

 

She crouched down in front of the door of the empty apartment that night, chanting spells she discovered in the book and burning ginseng roots incense she bought from an old lady in the shady shop near the apartment few hours ago.

 

“Ginseng root.” The black cat mumbled as she settled herself next to [Y/N].

 

“It’s in the book, okay.” She mumbled before she continued to burn incense. She used her left hand to fan the smoke, hoping it would get in through the gap under the door. She waited for a good few minutes before she got up on her feet and walked back to her apartment with a big smile on her face.

 

“Come on, Nutmeg. We’re going to get a good night sleep from now on.”

 

“Don’t call me Nutmeg, [Y/N].” The cat grumbled. “I don’t know where you get that name. My fur is not even brown.”

 

“It’s cute.” [Y/N] shrugged. She made a beeline to the kitchen, dumping everything on the sink before she headed towards her bedroom.

 

* * *

This wouldn’t have happened if she were smarter, or at least better at using magic, she thought when she still heard those rustling noises for the past few days. A sigh escaped her lips as she got up to get another ginseng root and a matchbox. Nutmeg sat on the kitchen counter with what looked like a smirk while she watched [Y/N] fumbled with the ginseng incense and the spells.

 

“You should give up, [Y/N]. You’ve been burning so many incense this past couple of days and it didn’t work.”

 

“I’m going to do get rid of that stupid ghost.” She grumbled, grabbing the things she needed.

 

She walked out her apartment a few minutes later and crouched down in front of the door again. _You can do this. Do it right and it’ll be over, [Y/N]._ She took a deep breath and slowly repeated the spell while burning the incense, making sure it went inside the apartment.

 

* * *

 

 _You have got to be kidding me._ He let out a string of curse when he smelled something in his apartment. Again. Bucky put on a pair of sweatpants and long sleeved shirt before he made his way out of the bedroom. Another curse escaped his lips when he saw the smokes entering his apartment.

 

“Goddammit.” He trudged towards the door and quickly pulled it open.

 

“What the fuck?”


	2. Chapter 2

She thought she was going to die. She was trying to exorcise this lost spirit and she heard the sound of slammed door from inside the apartment. She casted her cat a panicked look, mumbling a protection spell, hoping the spirit won’t kill her. She rested her forehead on the door and closed her eyes as more protection spell slipped out of her lips. [Y/N] let out a shriek when the door was suddenly opened, causing her to fell on her face. She quickly scrambled back, pressing her back on the wall behind her. Her face was stricken with fear and panic at the sight of a male figure in front of her.

 

“What the fuck?” His voice was gruff and tinged with annoyance. [Y/N] kept her eyes on him while she tried to find the incense she dropped somewhere without him knowing.

 

“Stop it!” He snapped when she picked up the incense. He snatched it away from her and stomped it with his feet. _Okay. This was bad._ She slowly turned to Nutmeg who was trying to stay as still as possible, most likely because she was trying to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

 

“Listen here. I don’t know why you’re trying to make my apartment smell like whatever this thing was. But you gotta stop.” The man looked down on her.

 

“You need to move on.” She quietly mumbled. This was one of those times she wished she had paid more attention on her lessons. Well it’s too late now, she thought.

 

“What?” He frowned.

 

“You don’t know.” She breathed out, feeling sorry for the guy. “Oh no, you poor lost soul.” She got up on her feet and gave him a tiny smile. “It’s okay. You need to accept it to move on. Do–do you need my help?”

 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and she finally noticed his prosthetic left arm. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she imagined countless scenarios of how this man died.

 

“I can help you move on to the other side.” She said with a firmer tone. She was going to help this man cross over no matter what.

 

“Jesus Christ.” He rolled his eyes. “I can’t do this. It’s too early for me.” He was about to close the door when he darted his eyes toward the black cat who was rolling on the floor, laughing. His eyes widened in fear and shock as he turned to her.

 

“WHAT IS THAT?” He pointed at the cat.

 

“She’s my companion.” [Y/N] smiled.

 

* * *

 

 _Was he dreaming? Was this still a dream?_ The black cat slowly turned her attention to Bucky. She flashed him a weird smile and Bucky swore the cat was laughing and now she was mumbling something he couldn’t decipher. _Cats don’t talk, don’t they?_

 

“No. Cats don’t talk.” He mumbled.

 

“Oh yes. But this is a witch’s cat. I can tell you more but you have to promise me you’ll try to move on, okay?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Bucky finally snapped, the talking cat momentarily forgotten.

 

“YOU’RE DEAD AND YOU’VE BEEN WANDERING AROUND, YOU POOR POOR MAN.” the woman loudly said.

 

“I’m not dead, you weirdo.” Bucky grumbled. _Did someone slip him drugs last night?_ He must be hallucinating.

 

“What?” The woman looked taken aback and he noticed the flush in her cheeks when he let out a sigh.

 

“I’m not dead, okay.”

 

“That can’t be.” She shook her head, her eyes darting between her cat and him.

 

“Oh, [Y/N]! I see you’ve met your new neighbor!” The landlady’s voice caused both of them to looked away from each other. The old woman was going up to the upper stairs and she gave them a little wave before she went on her way.

 

Bucky watched color drained from her face when she registered her words. He raised his eyebrows in amusement as she stammered and flailed her arms in panic.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you thought he was a ghost.” Meg laughed manically.

 

[Y/N] covered her face with her hands and groaned. _Why did she even think it was a ghost?_ Well, Mrs. Carter, the old landlady didn’t tell her about her new neighbor. She usually did. _Why? Oh my God. She just tried to exorcise a real human being and –_

 

“Sorry.” She quickly mumbled and ran back to her apartment, leaving the man flabbergasted.

 

[Y/N] locked the door and darted towards her bedroom, mumbling curses while she buried herself under the blankets.

 

* * *

 

“Well, it was an entertaining morning.” The black cat said as she looked up at him.

 

“You talk.”

 

“No shit.” The cat rolled her eyes.

 

“She’s a witch.” The man said again.

 

“Yeah. Not the best one, for sure.” She snickered. “But she’s good and I hope you don’t tell anyone about this or I will hex you myself.”

 

Bucky frantically nodded in reply. He watched the cat turned around and let out a curse when she realized her owner just locked the apartment door.

 

“Do– do you want to come inside?” Bucky offered with a hesitant smile. “You can go out of my window to get back to your apartment.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :)


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky’s eyes followed the black cat (who insisted to be called Meg) back inside his apartment. The cat leapt onto his couch, stretching her body and sniffing the jacket draped on the couch. Did Clint drug him yesterday? Cause there was no way a cat can talk, right? He rubbed his hand across his face, clearly trying to make sense of what just happened.

 

“Bucky.” His ears perked when Meg called his name. “Is that your name?” she pointed her paw at the nametag that was still pinned on the black shirt he threw on the floor when he got home last night.

 

“Yeah.” He replied. God, please let me wake up.

 

“This is not a dream, Bucky.” Meg lazily lay on the couch. “I like you. You seem like a fun guy to be friends with.”

 

“I don’t need friends. I just want to sleep.” Bucky mumbled. The cat laughed and jumped off the couch. She made her way to the window and patted her tiny paw on the glass.

 

“What a cute thing.” She flashed her teeth while Bucky unlocked the window. “Come over sometimes. I’m sure [Y/N] would be happy to have a cute guest.”

 

Bucky peeked out of the window to watch the cat walked back to his neighbor’s place. She pounded on a window, meowing loudly until she finally pulled up the window.

 

“How did you get here?!” Bucky saw [Y/N] picked up the cat and looked around in confusion.

 

“Hey.” He raised his right arm and mustered a smile when her eyes landed on him.

 

She widened her eyes and quickly turned around, hitting her forehead on the side of the window. “Shit.”

 

“Are you okay?” Bucky worriedly asked and was about to get out of his own apartment when she nodded her head, one of her hand covering her forehead.

 

“YES. I AM FINE. GOOD DAY.” She shouted and quickly shut the window.

 

Bucky laughed before he closed his own window and walked back to his bedroom. He really needed to wake up from this strange dream.

 

* * *

 

“What did you give me yesterday, Clint?” Bucky asked later that afternoon when he walked into the bookshop café for his shift.

 

“Huh?” Clint was perched on the top of the stairs, trying to balance a pile of books on his hands.

 

“Last night, when we went out to get some drinks.” Bucky elaborated. He watched Clint struggled for a while before he walked up to him. “Give me that. I’ll hold it for you.”

 

“Thanks.” Clint sighed in relief. “I didn’t give you any drugs. Why?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Hey, Nat said Steve told her to tell me to tell you that he needs you to call him when you get here.” Clint said as he put the books in the shelf.

 

“Is this about the girl thing again?” Bucky whined. Steve has been trying to set him up with girls from his workplace ever since he broke up with Nat two years ago. The man didn’t show any signs of stopping and Bucky was starting to get unnerved by Steve’s persistence to get him a girlfriend.

 

“You know Steve. He’s very… passionate about this kind of thing.”

 

“More like stubborn.” Bucky handed Clint the rest of the books and crossed his arms. “He really needs to stop trying to find me someone.” He grumbled as he walked back to the front desk.

 

“Why? You have someone already?”

 

Bucky let out another sigh. This was why he sometimes wanted to strangle his friends. Sam peeked out his head from one of the aisle and gave him a huge grin that could be translated into ‘ _tell me everything’_. Clint literally jumped down the stairs and Bucky thought he was going to break his legs for a moment. He sat back on the wooden chair and closed his eyes, ignoring his friends’ excited chattering.

 

“We should tell Nat and Steve.” He heard Clint said.

 

“Our little Barnes has a girlfriend.” Sam mocked cry. Bucky’s eyes snapped open and he turned to Sam with shocked face.

 

“I don’t—“ He paused for a moment. “I mean… I want to keep it a secret for now, okay?”

 

Sam grinned wider and Bucky could hear Clint trying his best not to scream like a twelve years old girl. He raised his eyebrows and waited for them to return to their own posts.

 

“I’m going to tell Nat.” Clint whispered as he went back to returning the books back to its shelf.

 

“I’m texting Steve.” Sam nodded before he walked back to help a customer.

 

* * *

 

Steve was giving him his puppy-eyes stare. Bucky rolled his eyes and looked away from those pitiful looking blue eyes. This _human golden retriever_ he called his best friend just canceled his 2 P.M. class just to pester him. Natasha, his other best friend (and also his ex) decided that it was also a valid reason for her to cancel her self-defense class.

 

“Listen, Steve, you’re really over-reacting.” Bucky said as he put some books inside a paper bag for a customer.

 

“I’m not! I’m just so happy for you, Buck.” Steve beamed.

 

“What’s her name?” Natasha asked while chewing on her strawberry bubble gum.

 

“Uhm—“

 

“Who is it?! OOhh! Tell us!” Clint ran from across the room, stumbling over books and a table.

 

“Why do I have to tell you?” He defensively asked, his cheeks reddening when Natasha sent him a smirk.

 

“Is this girlfriend… real?” She mischievously asked.

 

“Of course she is!” Bucky snapped. “It’s… it’s [Y/N] okay!” _oh shit. Oh shit. What did he just said. Shitshitshitshitsh—_

 

“That’s a nice name!” Steve smiled, patting his back.

 

“Why don’t you introduce her to us this weekend when we come over?” Sam joined in on the conversation, followed by a chorus of agreement from the rest of his friends.

 

James Buchanan Barnes was officially fucked and not in the best kind of way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :)


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay. This is bad. This is very bad._ Bucky has been pacing around the living room for the past hour, trying to find a solution to the mistake he just made. He was too engrossed in his own thoughts he didn’t notice the black cat lying on the kitchen table. He let out a shriek when he finally made his way to the kitchen and found Meg staring at him with an amused look on her face.

 

“What are you doing in here?!” He clutched his chest. “How did you even get here?!”

 

“The window’s opened.” She grinned. She got up on her feet and stretched out her limbs before leaping to the counter to follow Bucky. Bucky let out a sigh. He walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water and gulped it down in one go.

 

“So…” The cat trailed off while licking one of her front paw. “I heard about what you’ve been mumbling about.”

 

He choked, water sputtered out of his mouth. He quickly wiped his lips with the back of his hand and leaned back on the fridge, as if he wasn’t choking on water a minute ago. “What about it?”

 

“Are you going to ask her?”

 

“Ask who?” He looked away from the cat, busying himself with tiny magnets on the fridge.

 

“[Y/N], you dimwit.” Meg rolled her eyes. “I think it would be a great idea.”

 

“No.” Bucky shook his head and put down the glass. He went to the kitchen counter and picked up the cat despite her hissing noise she made as he carried her out of his apartment.

 

* * *

 

[Y/N] was about to take off her work clothes when she heard the faint knocking on the front door. She quickly put the sweater back on and scurried to open the door, her lips parted in surprise when she saw _the_ neighbor carrying her cat.

 

“Uhm… What are you doing in here?” She blurted out.

 

“Your cat.” Bucky’s cheeks pinked as he handed her the cat.

 

“He wants to ask you on a date.” Meg said before prancing back inside the apartment.

 

“What?” She sharply turned her head to Bucky.

 

“Okay, listen. This might sounds crazy but I may need your help.” He sheepishly grinned while rubbing the back of his neck.

 

[Y/N] stared at him for another minute before she stepped back to let him in. She heard him mumbled a little thank you when she told him to sit on the couch.

 

* * *

 

 _I must have heard it wrong. Is he drunk? Is he HIGH?_ [Y/N] froze while Bucky rambled on about what he has done and said earlier that day to his best friends. She took a good look at him while he wasn’t paying attention. He was (very) good looking. A little rugged, with stubbles and shaggy hair, but very handsome nevertheless. He wasn’t wearing a long sleeved shirt, which gave her a chance to see his left metal prosthetic arm. He was well-built and very muscular. She could see it from the well-fitted t-shirt he was wearing. But it was his eyes that made her pause. It was grey with a hint of blue and it reminded her of the color of her kitten doll she used to own back home.

 

“[Y/N]?” His gruff voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She shook her head and flashed him a nervous smile.

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“He wants you to be his pretend girlfriend, [Y/N].” Meg spoke out.

 

[Y/N] got up and paced in front of Bucky, her hands flailing as she tried to come up with a reason why he asked her.

 

“Okay. IF I do this.” She paused. “What am I going to get?”

 

Bucky looked around the room, trying to hide a smile. “I could help you with anything you want?”

 

“DEAL.” Meg’s scratchy voice filled the room, followed by Bucky’s laugh.

 

She took a deep breath. _Okay. There’s nothing wrong with this, right? Meg likes him. This should be okay, right?_ She looked at him and extended her right hand and mustered a smile.

 

“and I get to practice whatever it is I’m practicing with you. Okay?”

 

“You could’ve just said witchcraft, [Y/N]. Meg told me about it.” Bucky grinned and shook her hand. “Deal.”

 

She let out a relieved sigh and nodded. “Great. So, when do we start?”


	5. Chapter 5

“Okay. We have about three days to know each other before you meet them this Saturday.” Bucky explained as he sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor across her.

 

She took a deep breath and nodded.

 

“We will have to know as much as we can about each other.” Bucky spoke again. He drank some of his beer before he continued, “And get our stories straight.”

 

“I’m not stupid, Bucky. I know what we have to do.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve watched a lot of movies.”

 

Bucky chuckled as he looked around the room, taking in every single furniture and trinkets. He raised his eyebrows in amusement when his eyes landed on the piles of clothes near her bedroom door. There were a huge shelf filled with herbs and dried flowers next to her bookshelf. The apartment itself gave a very homey vibe, which made him smile. She must’ve given a lot of thoughts in decorating this place, he thought.

 

“So?” he quickly turned his attention back to [Y/N]. She gave him a helpless look as she leaned back on the couch. “How did we meet and start dating?”

 

* * *

 

“You need to be able to look into my eyes, [Y/N].” Bucky gently chided during their meeting the next day. She has been able to awkwardly divert her gaze away from him whenever he tried to look at her eyes.

 

“They’re going to find out, you know.” Bucky commented when she kept trying to avoid his eyes.

 

“This is difficult.” She whined. “Can’t we just hex them?” She looked up at him, her cheeks flushing slightly when he turned to her with a cheeky smile.

 

“Nope.” He replied, popping the ‘p’. “Come on, let’s try this again. We need to look convincing enough.” He pulled her closer to him. [Y/N] let out a guttural groan as she looked up. “There you go.”

 

It took them an hour to stop looking so awkward while standing next to each other. It took them another two to practice their PDA. Bucky thought they should be able to at least kiss. [Y/N] threatened to put a curse on him if he does, a meek threat he didn’t believe even for one second. Meg has never laughed this hard in her life when Bucky quickly kissed her cheek and ran off laughing.

 

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, BUCKY!” She didn’t even think twice to tackle him. He quickly grabbed her waist as they fall to avoid hurting her and fell on his back with a loud thump. She successfully landed on top of him, her eyes wide as she stared at Bucky. There was a long silence before his lips twitched into a playful smirk.

 

“See? This couple thing is doing great. Right, Meg?” Bucky broke into a fit of laughter when [Y/N] turned beet red and pushed herself off him.

 

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you haven’t watched Harry Potter.” Bucky gasped while holding a piece of paper in his right hand. He pointed his pen at her with a disappointed look on his face. “You’re a witch.”

 

“I’ve read the book.” She shrugged.

 

“You need to watch the movie as well.” He quickly got up to go to his bedroom to retrieve his laptop.

 

Bucky went back few minutes later and set the laptop on the coffee-table, the papers and take out food quickly discarded into a messy pile on the floor. He raised an eyebrow when she let out a disgusted sound.

 

“Your apartment is not that clean, [Y/N].” he pointed out.

 

“Touche.” She replied. “What are we doing? I thought we were going to memorize this.” She raised her own papers.

 

“Yeah, but you need to watch Harry Potter.” He shrugged.

 

“No, I don’t.”

 

“Yes, you do. You’re a witch! It’s an educational movie!”

 

* * *

 

[Y/N] woke up the next day with aching muscles and dark circles under her eyes. _That stupid man-child._ She rolled her eyes. He managed to make her stay and watched the first three movies until she fell asleep on his couch. He didn’t even bother to move her from the couch or wake her up. Thankfully, he still has the decency to put a blanket over her while he went back to his bedroom to sleep in his own bed.

 

“Are you leaving for work?” Bucky peeked out of his apartment door when she walked out of hers.

 

“Yes… why?” She suspiciously asked.

 

“Nothing. Just reminding you about this.” He handed her the paper they wrote the other day about each other. She snatched the paper out of his hand and let out a whine.

 

“I’m regretting this.” She mumbled.

 

“Have a nice day at work!” Bucky hollered, chortling when she flipped him off.

 

* * *

 

“You look very happy, Barnes.” Sam commented when he saw Bucky walked into the bookshop.

 

“DID YOU GET LAID?” Clint asked loudly and Bucky thanked the Gods for the empty shop that afternoon.

 

“Oh my God.” Sam gasped. “YOU DID! Dammmnn, you are one lucky man, Barnes.” Sam giggled alongside Clint.

 

“I’m not—“ he stopped midsentence when both of his friends turned to him. “Nothing. Continue your giggling session.” He sighed.

 

“Bucky and [Y/N]. Sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G~” Clint sang as he walked back to the register.

 

Bucky was busy trying to rearrange the books on the shelf when he saw a familiar figure entering the shop. His eyes bulged out in surprise and he almost fell down the stairs when she looked at him with equally wide eyes.

 

“What are you doing in here?” He climbed down the stairs and approached her.

 

“It’s a book shop and I need to buy books, you know for my—“ He quickly covered her mouth and led her away to a more secluded area of the shop before Clint and Sam could see them.

 

“Why here?” He whispered.

 

“They don’t have this book anywhere else.” She pulled out a piece of scrap paper with scrawny handwriting. Bucky scrunched his nose at the messy handwriting.

 

“I’ll get it for you. My friends kinda work here.” He told her, this time gently leading her out of the shop.

  
“Are you going to pay for it too?” She asked, looking at him with her puppy eyes. He _hated_ her puppy eyes. She has been doing it the past few days ever since she found out he could never say no when she did it.

 

“Fine.”

 

“BARNES.” Both of them jumped in surprise at the sound. [Y/N] looked past Bucky’s shoulder and saw two men running towards them.

 

“I think we’re caught.”

 

Bucky sighed for the hundredth times that day.


	6. Chapter 6

“Should I go?” [Y/N] tilted her head, her cheeks once again turned into a shade of pink when Bucky pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

 

“Too late.” He mumbled into her hair.

 

[Y/N] stood on her tiptoes to see past Bucky’s shoulders, her eyes widening at the sight of two men sprinting towards them. She gave Bucky a little nudge with her head and pulled away from him.

 

“BARNES.” One of the guys called out.

 

“Hey.” Bucky grumbled as he turned around to face them, his left arm still wrapped around her waist.

 

Both men had weird grins plastered on their faces while they stared at her. She returned the grin with an awkward smile.

 

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” The one with black hair wiggled his eyebrows, earning a glare from Bucky.

 

She could hear the gears in Bucky’s head turning as he looked at her. It took him a minute before he finally looked away and cleared his throat.

 

“This is [Y/N].” He quietly mumbled. “This is Sam Wilson and Clint Barton.”

 

She hesitantly offered them a handshake, squeaking a little when Clint and Sam excitedly shook her hand. They kept giving her funny looks until Bucky finally pulled her away from them.

 

“She couldn’t stay long.” He lamely said while slightly dragging her away from his friends. “Say goodbye, [Y/N].”

 

“Goodbye?” She looked up at him, her face bright with mirth when Bucky mumbled a string of curse words as they left.

 

* * *

  
“So, how long have you been dating?”

 

“Not that long.”

 

“Yeah, we know. But how many months? Days? Hours? Minute? Where did you meet her? Where does she work at? What kind of—”

 

“You need to stop before I chuck this book at you, Barton.” Bucky snapped. He could hear Clint cackling as he left Bucky with Sam who was equally as excited as Clint.

 

“She’s pretty.”

 

“I know.”

 

“So, she’s—“ Sam stopped talking when Bucky threw him a glare.

 

“For God’s sakes, Wilson. Stop asking me questions about her! GO ASK HER YOURSELF.”

 

“FINE.” Sam huffed. “Such an angry little boy.”

 

* * *

 

Bucky went home to find [Y/N] sitting on his couch with her cat. She had a huge bowl of popcorn on her lap and she was…crying? He quickly locked the door and sauntered over to the living room.

 

“What are you doing?” He raised his eyebrows. His neighbor jumped in surprise and spilled some of the popcorns on the floor.

 

“You scared me!” She clutched her chest.

 

“Why are you here? You have a TV, [Y/N].” He set down his bag and his jacket. “Give me that.” He added, pointing his finger at the popcorn.

 

“You have a nicer TV. Mine’s broken.” She easily replied while passing the bowl.

 

“She broke it.” Meg quipped.

 

Bucky let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose while she started to tell him the story. His eyes softened ever so slightly as he watched her talk animatedly. Her hands flailed all over the place as she spoke.

 

“The book says it should work!” She groaned into the small pillow. “Who would’ve thought the TV would explode.”

 

“We almost died, by the way.” Meg added with a huff.

 

“She’s exaggerating.” [Y/N] rolled her eyes. “Anyway, someone has been calling me and texting me. I think it’s your friend?” She pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket and tossed it at him.

 

“Oh yeah, sorry. He was being annoying so I told him to go ask those questions to you.”

 

“He’s…” She bit her lips and looked up, trying to find the correct words to say. “Is he always like that?”

 

“They just think me having a girlfriend is some sort of a miracle.”

 

“I can see that.” She nodded, chuckling to herself when Bucky childishly nudged her with his foot.

 

* * *

 

“Okay, listen. I need you to understand that my friends can be… very… enthusiastic.” Bucky rested his hand on her shoulders and gave her a lopsided smile. She nodded, her eyes darting towards the door. She could hear them talking loudly outside the apartment, which did not calm her nerves at all. She was about to speak when Bucky took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her eyes quickly went down to their intertwined hands and back at Bucky’s face.

 

“I’ve survived this long with them. You will too.” He grinned.

 

“I just hope they’re not going to ask weird questions about us.”

 

“We’ll be fine. We’ve memorized those fact sheets.” Bucky chuckled at her exasperated expression. “Really, [Y/N]. You’ll do great. I’ll buy you those weird magic book later.” He promised.

 

“HEY, LET US IN.”

 

“You better buy me two books.”

 

“I miss the awkwardly shy [Y/N] I met a week ago.” Bucky sighed as he opened the door.

 

“HEYYYYYYY~”

 

“Jesus Christ, tone it down, will you?”


	7. Chapter 7

He thought he would be suffering throughout his time with his best friends and [Y/N]. Well, he thought wrong. He thought VERY wrong. Bucky stood near the living room with a bottle of beer in his hand while he gaped at the sight in front of him. Natasha, the Natasha that hated making small talks and socializing, was talking animatedly with [Y/N]. She kept asking [Y/N] questions while Steve sat on [Y/N]’s right, adding some commentaries as they tried kept the conversation going, oblivious to [Y/N]’s uneasy expression. Sam and Clint decided it was okay for them to sit on his coffee table in order for them to be in the conversation. Bucky didn’t know which was funnier, the sight of [Y/N] turning into an adorably awkward person or the sight of his friends being overly eager to get to know his _girlfriend_.

 

“Stop asking her questions, guys.” Bucky finally said, laughing to himself when [Y/N] shot him a grateful look.

 

“I like her.” Natasha beamed.

 

“You like everyone who read weird books.” Steve added, earning a playful smack from his redheaded friend.

 

“I…Uhm… I should probably go check on my cat.” [Y/N] tried to get to the door but was stopped by Steve.

 

“You’re not going to leave, right?”

 

“She lives next door, Steve. Let her be.” Bucky rolled his eyes.

 

“Okay. Come back soon!” Steve’s face brightened.

 

* * *

 

"She’s very nice.” Natasha said when [Y/N] left.

 

“She is.” Bucky nodded and put his hand in his jeans pocket. He knitted his eyebrows in confusion when he pulled out a pink stone the size of a marble.

 

“She’s a little bit shy, isn’t she? Bucky?” Steve turned to him when Bucky didn’t answer.

 

“What’s that?” Steve asked, noticing the stone.

 

“I don’t know.” He quietly replied, his eyes still focused on the small pink stone on his palm. Did she give me this? He thought as he flipped it over, trying to find out what stone that was.

 

“It looks really pretty. Is that a gift for [Y/N]?” Clint, who just came back from the kitchen, asked him.

 

“Huh? No.” Bucky quickly said as he shoved it back to his pocket as [Y/N] entered the apartment.

 

“Is everything okay?” She nervously smiled when everyone turned to her.

 

“Yeah. Come on. Let’s eat!” Bucky grinned, pulling [Y/N] with him.

 

Bucky resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his best friends when he pulled out the chair for [Y/N]. She was adorably fidgeting on her seat and his smile widened when she turned to him with glare, mouthing ‘stop it’ secretly.

 

“You’re so nice, doll. They’ll be fine.” Bucky spoke out and kissed her cheek, fully knowing of the effect he has on her especially when his friends were around. Her cheeks reddened while his friends turned to them.

 

“She’s a little worried you guys won’t like the food.”

 

“It’s takeout food cause burned all of food I’ve been preparing this morning, Bucky.” She rolled her eyes, momentarily forgetting the other people in the room.

 

“Yeah, she’s a real keeper.” Steve grinned.

 

* * *

 

“Bye.” Bucky stressed out as he pushed his friends out of his apartment. [Y/N] was trailing behind him with a smile on her face as she gave them a tiny wave.

 

“You’re such a grumpy old man.” Sam complained. “How did you end up with [Y/N]?”

  
“GOODBYE, SAM.”

 

“Call me so we can hang out!” Natasha hollered before Bucky slammed the door in front of her and walked back to his couch.

 

“I’m so tired.” He mumbled, resting his head on her shoulder.

 

“I think it went pretty well.” [Y/N] relaxed while Bucky hummed in reply.

 

There was a long moment of comfortable silence before Bucky looked up to see [Y/N] dozing off. His lips curled into a soft smile as he watched her struggled to stay awake. He sat up and gently pulled her closer so she could rest her head on his lap.

 

“What are you doing?” She mumbled.

 

“Just sleep.” He hushed her, his smile widened when she went out in a few minutes.

 

He ran his fingers through her hair, humming an old song he used to listen to as he closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

She was gone when he woke up few hours later and Bucky tried to hide his disappointment of not having her around. He got off the couch and walked back to his bedroom, his face lighting up when he saw a note with another pink stone on the small table next to his bed.

 

_‘Your room is filthy._

_I’ll see you tomorrow after work._

_I have a great surprise._

  * _[Y/N]’_



 

Bucky chuckled a little at the tiny ugly drawings she did underneath her note. He pulled open the drawer and carefully placed the note inside along with the tiny stones she gave him. _I should ask her about this weird pink stones_ , he made a mental note as he closed the drawer.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Bucky surprised himself how unconcerned he was when he heard a rustling noise coming from his apartment. He unlocked the door, his lips curled into a smile at the sight of his neighbor sprawled on his couch. Her face was covered with the small colorful pillows she insisted on buying for him last week because she thinks his apartment is too dull looking. The rest of her body was covered with an overthrow he bought (“because it has to match the color of that stupid pillows.” He told her when she mocked his choice)

 

“You really need to stop breaking into my apartment and buy a new TV.” He said with his hands on his waist. “Scoot over.” Bucky added as he sat on the couch. He shook his head at her expression and grabbed her ankles so he could put it across his lap, rolling his eyes when she hummed an approval. “Happy now?”

 

“Yes.” She grinned.

 

“I really miss the quiet [Y/N] I used to know.” Bucky sighed. He scanned his eyes around his living room, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. “Where’s your cat?”

 

“Nutmeg? She’s…somewhere.” [Y/N] waved him off.

 

“STOP CALLING ME NUTMEG!” [Y/N] broke into a fit of laughter when they heard Meg’s scratchy voice from her apartment.

 

Bucky’s eyes lingered a little longer on her gleeful face. He didn’t even fight the fond smile that tugged at his lips. His hands were rested on her calves, smirking when she finally noticed. Her cheeks pinked and Bucky found himself unable to look away from her face.

 

“What?” She nervously muttered.

 

“Uh—Nothing.” He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head with his left hand.

 

“You’re a weirdo.”

 

“Oh really? I’m a weirdo?” He raised his eyebrows in challenge.

 

“Yeah, you are. What kind of name is Bucky?” She shrugged. “And your monochromatic apartment—akh! STOP IT!” She squealed when he leaned over and started to tickle her waist.

 

“You thought I’m a ghost and tried to exorcise me and you tell me I’m weird, [Y/N]?” He chuckled as she writhed, trying to wriggle away from him.

 

“Fine! –I—was wrong!” she gasped and let out a huge sigh of relief when he finally stopped. He looked down with a weird smile on his face and she tilted her head in confusion. “Bucky? What is it?”

 

“Nothing.” Bucky shook his head and quickly sat back down on the couch, his cheeks turning into a shade of pink. “Come on.” He patted her thigh. “Are you hungry? I’m starving. Should we get some pizza? Or can you cook? Of course you can’t. Maybe we should call the pizza man. Pizza guy. I meant the pizza place.” Bucky stood up and wandered to the kitchen without looking at her face.

 

“Pizza’s good.” [Y/N] nodded as she leaned back on the couch. She reached into her coat pocket and took out an amber stone necklace and a crumpled note. Her lips twitched into a tiny smile as she placed them on the small table next to his bedroom door.

 

“What kind of pizza do you want? The usual?” she let out a string of curse when she jumped in surprise and hit the shelf above her.

 

“YES.” She hollered back, hurriedly settling herself back on the couch before Bucky returned.

 

* * *

 

“This is ridiculous.” Bucky grumbled under his breath as he helped [Y/N] carried more boxes up the stairs. “I thought we’re going to do some magic.”

 

She has decided that the weekend was the perfect time to order him around. _I did that girlfriend thing, now you shall be my servant,_ she told him when she barged into the apartment early in the morning. Bucky would never admit he had a quite some fun watching her tried to find the right herbs for her ‘projects’ and failing miserably.

 

“Make use of that arm of yours, Bucky.” She grinned.

 

“You finally noticed I have nice arms, huh?” He wiggled his eyebrows and paused to looked down at her. She rolled her eyes and nudged him with his box, ignoring Bucky’s playful laughter.

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Aw. You’re blushing.” Bucky nudged her back.

 

“You guys are adorable. I can’t handle this.” Both of them jumped at the sound. [Y/N] dropped her box in surprise when she spotted one of Bucky’s friends standing in front of his apartment.

 

“Steve, stop.” Bucky awkwardly waddled inside.

 

“I know I remember you from somewhere!” Steve clicked his tongue. “Here, let me help you.”

 

“Oh! The handsome guy!” She quickly covered her mouth when she realized what she just said.

 

“He’s not handsome!” Bucky hollered from her apartment.

 

“Thanks.” Steve grinned at her. “Come on. Sam, Nat, and Clint will be here soon with food.”

 

* * *

 

Natasha leaned closer to Clint, her eyes glued on the necklace peeking out of Bucky’s shirt.

 

“I didn’t know Bucky wears necklaces.” Natasha mused as she watched Bucky moped the floor with Sam.

 

“He didn’t?” Clint turned his head towards his friends. “Oh. I think that’s new.” He grinned.

 

“Barnes! Where did you get your necklace!” Clint shouted.

 

Bucky stiffened and his hand quickly went to his neck to hide the necklace. He clumsily hit the shelf behind him and almost tripped over the bucket of water.

 

“What are you doing, Barnes?” Sam watched in amusement.

 

“Nothing!” He snapped.

 

“Nice necklace.” Sam commented while watching his friend lost his cool.

 

“[Y/N] gave me this.” He mumbled. “Why do I have to tell you anyway?” he continued to mumble as he walked away from his laughing friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :)


	9. Chapter 9

[Y/N] was hunched over the cashier table when she heard the doorbell jingle. A familiar woman walked in, her lips pressed into a thin line as she read the descriptions on the jars. [Y/N] hopped off the chair and walked over towards the woman with a nervous smile. She softly tapped the woman’s shoulder, awkwardly waving her hand when the red-haired woman turned around.

 

“Hi. Do you need any help?” She smiled.

 

“You work here?” Natasha raised an eyebrow as she scanned the store. It was a rundown vintage store she thought was interesting. There were racks of dried flowers and herbs on the wall to her right and a shelf filled with vintage jewelries on her left. Her eyes landed back on [Y/N] and she flashed the woman a smile.

 

“I just started last week.” [Y/N] answered. “What are you searching for? I may be able to help you.”

 

“Bucky wore this necklace and I want buy something like that for Clint cause it’s cute. I was going to buy another necklace for his birthday but that’s not really creative.” Natasha explained as she picked up a tiny crystal necklace. “You know today’s his birthday, right?” She added when [Y/N] gave her a confused look. “You didn’t?”

 

[Y/N] quickly came to her senses under Natasha’s stare. She shook her head and let out a small awkward laugh.

 

“I thought it’s tomorrow.” She smoothly lied. “Anyway, I have just the thing for you. It’s really pretty and it’ll suit you.” [Y/N] changed the subject as she motioned for Natasha to follow her.

 

* * *

 

Bucky stared at his phone in worry. He and [Y/N] have been texting every day ever and she always replied quickly. The last text he sent her was two hours ago and he didn’t know if he should be worried about her or not. _I should wait for one more hour before I call her._ He told himself as he walked into his apartment. Meg was asleep on his couch as always (“I like expensive couch.” She told him when Bucky asked her why she kept sleeping on his couch). She rose to wake when he closed the door and trotted towards him, her eyes glinted playfully.

 

“What?” He frowned as he took off his shoes and threw his jacket on the couch.

 

“[Y/N] would like me to tell you to go to her apartment the moment you’re back.”

 

“Why? Is she planning something weird again? The last time she did this she almost get us killed.” He shuddered at the memory.

 

“Just go, Bucky.” She slapped his calf with her paw.

 

Bucky grabbed his phone and slipped back out of his apartment. He raptly knocked on her door, his lips automatically curved into smile when [Y/N] opened the door. She had her hair tied into a messy ponytail with tendrils of hair curling around her face. His smile widened at the sight of her shit. His shirt that she borrowed and never returned because she claimed it was the most comfortable shirt she has ever worn. He would never admit that he secretly liked it.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“Meg said I should come here. What are you doing? Your apartment smells like…weird incense.” He craned his neck to get a better look inside her place. “Please tell me you’re not making that gooey concoction again?”

 

“It smells like vanilla and chocolate, Bucky.” She rolled her eyes as she pulled open the door to let him in. “Don’t be dramatic.”

 

“You’re baking.” He finally noticed the flour on her face and her hands. She gave him a huge smile as she pulled him towards the kitchen.

 

“I have something for you!” She excitedly said. “It’s not done yet but I think it’ll taste great.”

 

Bucky’s eyes traveled to the oven and he choked out a laugh.

 

“Is that a cake?”

 

“It is! Chocolate and Vanilla something!” She beamed. “I thought you’d like something sweet for your birthday.” She quietly added. Bucky’s gaze softened as he looked down on her face.

 

“It’s a little burnt, though.” He pointed out before doubling over with laughter, his fond eyes never leaving her.

 

* * *

 

He ate the whole cake. It tasted a little too sweet and bitter on the edges but he couldn’t care less. [Y/N]’s bright eyes and her huge smile made it all worth it (even though he may get stomach ache later).

 

“Can’t I have a bite? I made those.” She whined.

 

“Nope. It’s my birthday cake. I’m going to eat everything.”

 

“Does it taste okay?” [Y/N] tilted her head as she watched him finished the last bit of the cake. He nodded with a mouth full of cake.

 

“A little bitter but still delicious.” He smiled.

 

“Thank God. This is like, my fourth attempts.” She sheepishly grinned. Bucky glanced at the trashcan and felt his heart swell when he looked into her eyes. Her cheeks were slightly pinked at the revelation and she was trying very hard not to blurt out a stupid comment (which Bucky found very adorable).

 

“Thank you.” He finally said after a moment of silence. He put his hand over hers and gave it a little squeeze. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

 

“You’re welcome.” She quickly muttered before getting up to drink another glass of water.


	10. Chapter 10

They ended up sitting on the carpet in her living room with beers and wine after their dinner. [Y/N] listened to Bucky as he told her about the last birthday party he had where his friends decided to get him to go out on a date with a girl. _It ended badly but at least they felt really guilty about that so I get to order them around for a month,_ Bucky grinned at her. There it was again. The weird feeling in her chest that made her feels queasy. She drank another glass of wine before she finally gathered her courage to look up at him.

 

“Bucky?” She nervously called out. Bucky hummed a reply, his eyes closed as he leaned back on the couch.

 

“Why do they keep trying to find you a girlfriend?” She blurted out. She watched Bucky’s face contorted into different expressions before it settled on indifference.

 

“Nat and I used to date.” He started with a quiet voice. “It ended two years ago. I should have been able to move on, you know. But then she and Clint got together and I just lost it, I guess.” He flashed her a sad smile. “I remembered crying and not being able to see them together without feeling angry at myself and at them.”

 

“Why did you two break up?” She peered at his face.

 

“We’re not good for each other.” He turned to face her. “You see, me and Nat, we’re both really broken, well I’m really broken, and—“ Bucky took a deep breath before he continued, “And we just end up breaking each other’s heart. I’m not a good guy. Hell, I’m not even a well-functioning human most of the time.” Bucky let out a chuckle after he finished speaking.

 

“I think you’re a good guy.” [Y/N] mumbled.

 

Bucky stared at her and he patted her head affectionately before he turned to face the TV.

 

“You’re too nice.” He said, lifting his left arm. “Have you seen this? There’s a reason why I’m considered a broken person, [Y/N].”

 

“What happened?” She asked again.

 

“That’s a story for another day.” He smiled. “Come on, you’re pretty drunk and you need to go to sleep.” He quickly changed the subject and offered her his hands, which she quickly took without any hesitation. He led her to her bedroom and tucked her in, laughing softly when she gave him a childish smile.

 

“Good night, Bucky.” She called out before he left her room.

 

“Good night, doll.”

 

* * *

Bucky didn’t see her the next day or the day after that. He _couldn’t._ Not after what he shared while he was drunk. He blankly stared at his dark phone screen, his fingers itching to send a text to [Y/N]. _What am I supposed to say? Oh, sorry I over shared?_ He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. _She probably will think I’m a pathetic guy._ He thought as he re-read the texts she sent him (that he didn’t have the courage to reply to).

 

_‘Are you okay?’_

_‘Bucky?’_

_‘Are you mad about the questions I asked you?’_

 

There was another series of texts asking him if he was okay until the last one.

 

_‘I left something for you. Meg could deliver it to your place if you don’t want to see me. :) ‘_

 

“Trouble in paradise?” Clint’s voice startled him. He looked up to see his friend giving him an odd look.

 

“No.”

 

“You haven’t been texting her.” Clint pointed out. “I notice, Barnes. You are hopelessly in love with her and you don’t even know it.”

 

“I’m not!” Bucky quickly snapped his mouth shut and turned away.

 

“You’re not…?”

 

“I mean—I don’t know. Stop asking me this kind of question.” He hopelessly shrugged. “Why are you here? I thought your shift don’t start until three?”

 

“Natasha asked me to tell you to take [Y/N] with you to our trip.” Clint answered with a proud smile.

 

“What trip?” Bucky frowned in confusion as he grabbed the books from the cart.

 

Clint dramatically gasped and waited for Bucky’s reaction before he realized Bucky was completely clueless about the trip.

 

“The one we’re planning on going? Stark said we could stay at his villa?”

 

Bucky dropped the book and staggered a little when his back hit the cart behind him.

 

“I thought we cancelled the whole thing.” Bucky carefully said.

 

“Yeah, but you’re happy now and we think it would be the perfect time to go.” Clint shrugged. “Ask [Y/N] about it, will you? We’d love to have her with us. She’s really cool.”

 

“Sure.” Bucky was too distraught to listen to what Clint said afterwards.

 

* * *

 

He stood in front of her door for an awfully long time before he finally found the courage to raise his hand and knocked on the door. His heart began to pound loudly against his ribcage as he heard her incoming footsteps.

 

“You.” She gasped out when she finally opened the door. Bucky gave her a shaky smile in reply.

 

“I’m sorry—“His sentence was quickly cut off by her.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Bucky froze in surprise. He stared back at her, feeling more guilty by the second.

 

“Uhm—I am.” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to apologize. I was—“ Bucky flailed his arms awkwardly, trying to find the perfect words to say.

 

“Freaked out?” She offered with a tentative smile.

 

“Yeah.” He finally said. _I was afraid you’d think I’m a freak_. He wanted to say.

 

“It was a huge thing to share so I get it. Just don’t do it again, please?” She asked him. “I miss having a friend.” She added.

 

Bucky eagerly nodded, tension leaving his body when she opened the door for him. He quickly closed the distance between them and gave her a tight hug.

 

“So… the trip.” She suddenly said, causing Bucky to choke on his saliva.

 

“You knew?”

 

“Steve called me.” [Y/N] smiled. “I guess that was why you came here.”

 

“I do feel bad about ignoring you.” He quietly said. “It wasn’t just about the trip.”

 

“I know.” [Y/N] easily replied. “You know you’re going to have to make it up to me, right?” She mischievously smiled. Bucky let out an audible groan as he followed her to the dining room.

 

“What are you going to do?” He peered over her shoulder, scrunching his nose at the small jars lined up on the kitchen counter. “What are those?”

 

“Marjoram, meadowsweet, and lavender.” She answered as she put each herb into a small jar. “It’s for you!” She beamed.

 

“What am I supposed to do with that?” He raised an eyebrow.

 

“For incense! You could carry these as well but it would be an inconvenience.”

 

Bucky let out a sigh. Incense. Of course. She successfully made his apartment smelled like weird herbs last week, telling him it was supposed to make him lucky.

 

“I’m not going to use this.” He grumbled as he held on to the jar she handed him.

 

“Okay.” She shrugged. “I’m not going with you, then. Good luck explaining why I didn’t come with you.” She challenged him.

 

Bucky narrowed her eyes at her and let out a disgruntled sigh. His annoyed pretense quickly dissolved when she nudged his arm with hers.

 

“This one smells nice, I promise you.”

 

“That’s what you said last week.” He mumbled, the corner of his lips twitched upwards as she mumbled another apology.

 


	11. Chapter 11

“You’re going on a trip with Bucky.” Meg mused as she watched [Y/N] stuffed her clothes into her duffel bag. “Like a honeymoon trip.” She added with glee, cackling when [Y/N] blushed from her head to her neck.

 

“It’s a friend trip, NUTMEG.” [Y/N] replied as she shoved her favorite shirt into the bag.

  
“Of course.” Meg shrugged. She leapt off the bed and walked over to the bedroom door, pausing a moment to look over her shoulder. “Keep telling yourself that, [Y/N].” she added before leaving [Y/N] alone in the room.

 

[Y/N] threw herself on the bed and close her eyes. _Well, he really is just a good friend,_ she thought as she grabbed her ringing phone. The words Bucky Barnes blared on the screen along with the selfie he decided to took one day (“because you need a good picture of me”) and set as his profile picture. She slid her thumb across the screen and brought the phone close to her ear.

 

“Hello?” [Y/N] quickly sat up, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. She pursed her lips, pressing the phone to her ear. _This is not Bucky?_

 

“Yeah, it’s Steve.” He chuckled and [Y/N] blushed again. She mumbled an apology in reply. “It’s no problem. Listen, can I ask for your help? It’s about Bucky?”

 

“Is he okay?” She paced around her room as panic started to set in. _Oh God. Steve is calling him. What if something happened? I AM NOT HIS REAL GIRLFRIEND AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. HOW TO DO THI—_

“He’s okay, just really drunk.” Steve replied _. OH_. [Y/N] let out a huge sigh of relief as she sat back on the bed. “And he kept asking me about you… and I think he didn’t bring his keys with him, I don’t know why.”

 

“Uhm… what should I do?” she blurted out.

 

She could hear Bucky’s incoherent mumbling in the background followed by Steve’s stern voice. “I’m on my way there so can you like, open the door for us? I mean, you have his keys, right?”

 

 _No, I don’t actually. I usually just pick the lock and we did it so often it has become a game between us._ “Yeah, I do. I’ll just head over there and make sure his apartment is not filthy.”

 

Steve let out a loud laugh. “Thanks, [Y/N]. We’ll see you soon.”

 

* * *

Steve and the-very-drunk-Bucky arrived ten minutes later and [Y/N] didn’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for Steve. Bucky was clinging to Steve, his face was flushed and Steve looked so relieved to see her.

 

“Bucky.” Steve sighed when Bucky let go of Steve and staggered towards her with his arms open wide.

 

“[Y/N]!” He beamed and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. [Y/N] pat his back and gave Steve a sympathetic smile. “I can’t believe we’re going on a trip together tomorrow.” Bucky said a little too loud and planted a wet kiss on her cheek.

 

“Do you need any help?” Steve offered.

 

“I’ll be fine.” She shook her head. “Why don’t you head home and I’ll text you when Bucky’s back in the safety of his bed.”

 

“Okay.” Steve nodded. “You’re a good girlfriend, [Y/N]. I’m glad he has you.” Steve said before he left.

 

“You are a good girlfriend. My good good girlfriend.” Bucky added with a childish voice.

 

“Okay, Bucky. Let’s get you to bed.” She dragged him towards his bedroom.

 

“I need to tell you a secret.” He skidded to a stop and gave her a huge smile she didn’t even know he could make.

 

“Tell me tomorrow, okay? You need to sleep and I need to finish packing up my stuff. Did you pack your stuff yet?” she glanced at the messy bedroom and sighed for the thousandth time. “Of course you haven’t.”

 

“Shuuushh, [Y/N].” He let out another giggle. “I really need to tell you this… this secret!”

 

“Bucky…” [Y/N]’s exasperated look made Bucky grinned wider. He leaned in closer to her and [Y/N] froze the moment she felt his lips brushing her ear.

 

“I’m really happy you’re here.” He mumbled. “You made me forget the bad stuff.”

 

[Y/N] felt her throat closing up as he kissed her cheek again. She could hear her heartbeat thundering in her ears and she thanked the Gods for drunk and oblivious Bucky.

 

“Come on. You need to drink a lot of water and go to sleep.” She nervously cleared her throat.

 

“Okay, honey.” He grinned as he climbed into the bed. [Y/N] quietly helped him take off his prosthetic arm and set it on the table next to the bed. She was about to turn around when he grabbed her wrist and gave it a gentle tug. “Goodnight kiss?” He asked.

 

She stared at him for a good minute before coming to her senses. Her lips curled into a smile and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. Unfortunately (or fortunately? She didn’t know), Bucky decided to turn his face at the last minute. Her eyes widened at the feeling of his soft lips against hers.

 

“Good night.” Bucky sleepily smiled and he tenderly touched her cheek with his right hand.

 

She mumbled a reply and bolted out of his room.

 

_OH SHIT. NO. Why._

* * *

 

She slammed her bedroom door shut and slumped into the floor, ignoring Meg’s perplexed expression. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she was having a heart attack for a moment. _No_. She mumbled, clutching her left hand to her chest. Her right hand slowly went to her lips. She could still feel how his lips felt against hers. _This is not good at all. I am fucked. I am so fucked._

 

“Are you okay, [Y/N]?” Meg walked over to her with concerned eyes.

 

“I AM VERY VERY FINE.” She quickly got on her feet and buried herself underneath the pile of blankets on her bed. “I’m fine.” She said with muffled sound.


	12. Chapter 12

“WAKE UP, BARNES!” Sam jumped on his bed with a wide grin.

 

Bucky let out a groan and covered his face with the pillow. _Why did I even drink last night?_ His head felt like it was split in two and God, he really regretted drinking so much last night. He stayed quiet for another five minutes, hoping Clint would disappear and let him sleep in peac—Sam? Bucky opened an eye, wincing at the bright light.

 

“Where’s [Y/N]?” He rasped out.

 

“She’s with Nat.” Sam shrugged. “They have to buy some stuff and left me here to wake you up. COME ON!”

 

“Jesus Christ, Wilson.” Bucky pulled the blanked over his head let out a whine.

 

“Do you really don’t want to go that badly?” Sam plopped down and leaned back on the bed. The question made Bucky paused and he slowly showed his face, eyes watching Sam’s expression. “Steve said you drank a lot… like a lot.” Sam widened his eyes for emphasis.

                 

“It’s not that.” Bucky mumbled. “Nat and Clint will be there too and I just—“

“But you have [Y/N] now, right?” Sam turned to him with a suspicous expression. “Barnes, do you still love her? Cause if you do—”

 

“I –“

 

“Is he awake yet?” both of them jumped in surprise at the voice. [Y/N] flashed Sam a sheepish smile. Bucky could see the blush rising to her cheeks when she slowly darted her eyes and saw his naked torso. Bucky’s lips curled into a playful smirk.

 

“Like what you see, doll?” He wiggled his eyebrows, ignoring the pounding in his head. Because it’s always fun to see her reaction, he giddily thought. She would either blush or ended up throwing the herbs in her hand to his face (this happened twice and Bucky still laughed at how embarrassed she was afterwards).

 

[Y/N] let out a squeak and slammed the door shut, leaving Bucky laughing and Sam gawking at their weird interaction.

 

“What the hell was that?” Sam asked but Bucky was too busy laughing while clutching his head to listen.

 

* * *

 

[Y/N] was still red from her neck to her head by the time she was in the car with the rest of the team. Natasha and Steve gave her odd looks, which she replied with an incoherent mumbling. Sam took the seat next to the driver (Steve) while Nat and Clint occupied the middle seat.

 

“We could sit in the back together.” Bucky shrugged, pushing Clint so he could jump to the back seat.

 

“Uhm—“ [Y/N] hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting back and forth between Natasha and Bucky before she finally climbed into the car.

 

“You okay?” Natasha worriedly asked.

 

“Yeah.” She quickly nodded, glancing at Bucky for a second before she gave Natasha a smile. “I’m great.”

 

 _Greatly in pain and greatly confused were probably the correct term,_ [Y/N] thought. She rested her head on her palm and stared out of the window, trying her best to ignore Bucky’s grey eyes _. I don’t do this kind of thing_ , she thought, _feelings_. _It’s never my thing_ , her eyes burned with fresh tears and she had to blinked her eyes a couple of times to make sure no one would notice.

 

* * *

 

She was still awake three hours later, smiling at the sight of Natasha and Clint curled up together on one side of the car. Sam was snoring lightly in his seat, much to her amusement. [Y/N] grinned when Steve flashed her a smile through the mirror. She was so focused on watching her new friends sleeping she didn’t notice Bucky scooting closer to her until it was too late. She jumped on her seat when she felt his warm and calloused hand on hers.

 

“Are you really okay?” He whispered. [Y/N] turned her face slightly and briskly nodded. Please don’t do this. Please—

 

“You don’t look okay.” She sighed. Of course. Because Bucky was too nice of a man to let it go.

 

“I’m fine.” She replied back. There was a long silence and she finally gathered her courage to look him in the eyes. He looked a little pale, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared back at her.

 

“What happened last night?” He quietly asked, audible enough for her to hear. He watched her eyes widened and the blush slowly returned to her cheeks. What the fuck happened last night? He frowned when he saw her lips parted and closed repeatedly as she tried to find the words to say. “[Y/N]?”

 

“NOTHING!” She blurted out loud.

 

Steve snorted as he made a left turn, ignoring Bucky’s glare in the mirror. Bucky turned back to [Y/N] who was trying her best not to jump into the front seat and raised his eyebrows in amusement.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“You really don’t remember?” She finally asked after a long pause. Her eyes were wide with curiosity and Bucky felt his cheeks grew warm.

 

Bucky bit his lips, his eyes darting towards the window as he tried to rack his brain. What did he do? He remembered going to the bar with Steve. He also remembered ordering too many shots of tequila. The last thing he remembered was Steve trying to get his phone and asking him the password so he could call [Y/N].

 

“No?”

 

* * *

 

“Oh.” She let out a sigh. _Good then. Let’s just forget about this… this amazing kiss._ A smile crept up her face as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Okay, then. Nothing happened.”

 

“You can’t say that! Something happened!” Bucky insisted.

 

“Nah. You were really drunk and you said some stuff.” She shrugged. “You really want to know what you said?”

 

“Yes.” Bucky nodded enthusiastically.

 

“Okay. You said that you are going to buy me that huge cake I like from the cake shop we went to the other day.” She smiled triumphantly at Bucky. “You know, the one you think was an abomination of a cake.”

 

“That’s bullshit.” Bucky mumbled. “Shut up, Steve.”

 

“Well, you said that.” She leaned back on the seat.

 

Her heart skipped a beat when Bucky rested his head on her shoulder. She looked down to see him pouting with his arms crossed. “I can’t believe I said that.” He mumbled. “It was a disgusting cake.”

 

“It was delicious and you’re going to buy me one.”

 

“Not after that thing you pulled the other day with that weird stuff you gave me.” He looked up at her. She quickly looked away and focused her eyes on the scenery outside and Bucky couldn’t help but to stare at her with fond eyes. His lips slowly curved into a smile as he snuggled closer to her.


	13. Chapter 13

“… Excuse me?” Bucky groggily asked when his friends gave him weird looks the moment he stepped out of the car.

 

“Carry her, dumbass.” Sam replied. “You’re his boyfriend?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Bucky quickly nodded and turned around to get her. She made a low incoherent sound when Bucky gently picked her up and carried her out of the car. Blush slowly rose to his cheeks when she snuggled closer and made a soft humming noise.

 

“That’s adorable. Barnes got a girlfriend.” The five of them turned to the front door where Tony Stark stood. “A cute one too.”

 

“Stark.” Bucky narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip.

 

“Chill, Barnes. No one’s going to steal your girlfriend.” Stark craned his neck and his face split into a wide grin. “Even though I have to say how proud I am to see the arm working perfectly.”

 

Bucky’s eyes went to his left arm. He let out a shuddery breath at the sight of the metal arm peeking out of his sleeve and he started to realize how crappy this vacation idea was. _Calm down. You got this._ He thought to himself as he quietly slipped inside the villa.

 

It didn’t look like the villa he visited three years ago. Stark has repainted the walls and the interior of the villa looked more modern and simple. There was a wide flat screen TV in the living room and few leather couches that looked like it costs more than his rent. Bucky went up the wooden spiral staircase that leads to the second floor, [Y/N] still fast asleep in his arms.

 

“SHE’S GOING TO SLEEP WITH YOU, RIGHT?” Tony shouted from the first floor.

 

Bucky closed his eyes and let out a sigh when she slowly stirred awake. He watched her eyes fluttered open and his lips twitched into a smirk the moment her eyes landed on his. She let out incoherent words and muttered something under her breath as Bucky put her down.

  
“Thanks.” She mumbled.

 

“Yeah, no problem.” Bucky replied with a shrug. “Uhm… so this is our room.” He pushed the door on his left and showed her the huge bedroom he used to sleep in when he stayed over.

 

“Our room?” She frowned.

 

“We’re a couple?” Bucky raised an eyebrow.

 

“Oh yeah, you’re right.” She nodded and quickly went inside the room. She sat down on the king sized bed and let out an appreciative hum. “This is a very nice place.”

 

“It is.” Bucky chuckled as he set down his backpack on the table near him.

 

“So… Who’s going to sleep on the floor?” She turned to him with a playful smile.

 

* * *

She couldn’t believe her luck. She was the one who suggested rock, paper, scissor to decide who was going to sleep on the floor and she lost. She lost to Bucky Barnes and now she had to watch him hummed a weird corny song as he climbed into the bed.

 

“You’re really going to let me sleep on the floor, Bucky?” She quietly asked, flashing him her puppy eyes.

 

“That’s not going to work.” He covered his eyes with his hands. “You can’t use that on me!”

 

“Ugh.” She huffed and trudged over to the makeshift bed she just made from blankets and pillows.

 

“Good night, doll.” Bucky grinned as he turned off the lights. [Y/N] rolled her eyes and lay down on the floor, oblivious to his taut jaw or the way his eyes gloss over when he turned around.

 

* * *

 

She thought she was having a nightmare at first. The whimpering sound followed by a quiet sob. Her eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, eyes wide with concern when she saw Bucky trashing on the bed. She slowly crept up the bed and whispered his name over and over again, hoping he would hear her.

 

“Bucky, it’s just a dream.” She repeated for the nth times before Bucky finally opened his eyes. He wildly scanned the room with unfocused eyes before his gaze finally landed on her.

 

“You were having a nightmare.” She explained with a hesitant smile. Bucky looked nothing like the Bucky she knew. He was dripping in cold sweat and he looked ghostly pale it made her heart twisted painfully. [Y/N] slowly reached out her hand and put it on his right hand. “Bucky?”

 

“Sorry.” He said with a self-deprecating smile. “Now you know why I never have a girlfriend.” He bitterly chuckled.

 

“Don’t say that.” She quietly said. Bucky turned to her and patted her head.

 

“It’s fine. You should take the bed. I’ll go sleep outside.” He said. He was about to get up from the bed when she pulled him down.

 

“Please don’t?”

 

“[Y/N]…” Bucky sighed. “Sometimes, when I had this kind of nightmares,” he paused to take a deep breath. “Things can get really intense. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

 

She stared at him for a long minute before she started to speak,

 

“I used to have nightmares when I first moved here. Being alone makes it worse, you know.” She smiled. “I didn’t lose rock, paper, scissors only to have you left the bed in the middle of the night.”

 

Bucky chuckled as slowly leaned back on the bed.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked him.

 

Bucky shook his head in reply. [Y/N] clicked her tongue as she slipped off the bed and walked over to her suitcase. She took out a wooden box and set it on the table.

 

“What are you doing?” He asked when she opened the box and pull out a tiny satin pouch.

 

“It’s for you.” She answered. She closed the box and jumped into the bed, her lips curved into a wide smile. “This is something I used to carry whenever I travel. It helps with my nightmares.” She explained to him as she put the tiny pouch on his hand. “It’s yours now.”

 

“Why?”

 

“You need it more than I do.” She shrugged. “But can I sleep here in return? My back hurts really bad.” She pouted.

 

Bucky slowly smiled. He gently pulled her into a hug and pressed his lips on her forehead.

 

“Thank you.” He whispered.

 

[Y/N] slowly closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth of his body. _I am so fucked. Meg is going to laugh at me when she finds out about this._

 


	14. Chapter 14

If there was one thing she learned in her first roadtrip with Bucky, it would be the fact that the morning-after would always be awkward even if you didn’t have sex. She woke up that morning with his arm wrapped around her body, his face buried in her hair, and she could feel his warm breath against her neck. _Fuck_. She let out a quiet sigh, trying not to enjoy how warm and comfortable he was. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she slowly slipped out of his embrace. Her face softened into a fond expression when she turned to face him. Bucky was still peacefully asleep with his hair covering half of his face. He parted his lips a little as he reached out to hug the pillow. She stood there for a good few minutes, watching him, before she snapped out of her thoughts.

 

“Fuck my life.” She muttered as she quickly made her way to the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

She let out a string of curses as she wrapped the towel around her body a little tighter. Of course she would forget her clothes, she rolled her eyes. She pulled the door open and tiptoed out, praying Bucky was still asleep.

 

“Morning—Oh.”

 

She jumped, startled at Bucky’s sleepy voice. Bucky was sitting on the bed, his mouth parted in shock. It took her another minute to realize she has dropped the towel and Bucky was still staring at her with wide eyes.

 

“LOOK AWAY.” She screamed, trying to wrap the towel as fast as she could possibly can. Bucky quickly pulled the blanket over his head and mumbled an apology, oblivious to [Y/N]’s flaming red cheeks.

 

“Sorry.” Came his muffled reply after a few minutes has passed.

 

“It’s not your fault.” She cleared her throat as she buttoned her jeans. “Uhm. I’m dressed now.”

 

“Oh okay. Good.” He sat up and gave her a panicked look. “Not that I don’t want to see it—I mean— goddammit.”

 

She stared at him with her jaw hanging open in shock. Bucky Barnes was sitting on the bed with his pink cheeks and adorable flailing arm, trying to come up with an explanation.

 

“I like your body too.” She blurted out before she even realized what she wanted to say. She quickly let out a tiny shriek and bolted out of the room when Bucky looked up with a confused look on his face.

 

* * *

 

“Are you fighting with your girlfriend, Barnes?” Tony asked while watching [Y/N] and Natasha having a conversation on the other side of the room.

 

“No.” Bucky mumbled, feeling heat rising up to his cheeks for the thousandth times that day.

 

“Please don’t tell me you had sex and now it’s awkward cause you used to do it with Nat in that room and—”

 

“STARK.” Steve quickly shut Tony up with his stern voice. He gave Tony a warning look before he turned to Bucky, who was trying not to choke on his sandwich. “You don’t have to feel awkward, Buck. We understa—“

 

“Jesus Christ.” Bucky sighed.

 

“I mean, it’s all good as long as you’ve moved on.” Sam shrugged. “You have moved on, right?”

 

Bucky’s eyes darted to Natasha and [Y/N]. Has he?

 

“Buck?”

 

Bucky shook his head and mustered a smile. “Yeah. I have. Of course.” He replied, looking away from Steve’s eyes.

 

* * *

 

“I think I’ll just go back to my room. I don’t feel so good, Natasha.” She bit her lips. She blinked hard to get rid of the tears brimming in her eyes. _Don’t you dare cry, you stupid girl._

 

Natasha turned to face her, her eyebrows knitted into a frown. She put her hand on [Y/N]’s forehead, making sure she didn’t have a fever.

 

“You need anything?”

 

“No, I’m fine. I’ll just sleep it off.” [Y/N] quickly said before Natasha could ask any more questions.

 

“I’ll let Bucky know.”

 

“NO.” [Y/N] cut her off. “He’s having fun with his friends. I’ll be fine.” She added with a smile. She didn’t bother to offer an explanation to Clint who just arrived with more snacks and scurried back to her room.

 

* * *

 

She climbed into the bed and let out a shaky breath. _This wasn’t supposed to happen, right? This was not like movies at all,_ she thought as she wiped a tear away from her face. _How do people even do this thing anyway?_ She angrily thought. _Movies made it all seem so easy_. Her chest hurt like hell now. Okay, in hindsight, she was not supposed to hear the conversations, which means this was partly her fault. But she just had to be too curious for her own good, especially when she overheard them talking about her and Bucky, and decided to eavesdrop while Natasha was distracted by the DVD selections in front of them.

 

[Y/N] pulled the blanket over her head when she heard the door opened. There was a long silence before she felt the bed dipped.

 

“You okay?” oh, of course. She rolled her eyes. Of course it had to be Bucky who walked inside.

 

“Yeah.” She mumbled.

 

* * *

 

“Nat said you feel sick. Do you need anything?” Bucky worriedly asked as he sat on the bed.

 

“I’m fine.” Came her muffled reply and he had to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

 

“Come on, doll. I’m not an idiot. I’ve been living with you for months.” Bucky leaned back on the bedpost, waiting for her to reply.

 

“I heard what you said.” She finally answered after a long silence. She slowly pushed off the blanket and face him. “You know… about Natasha.” She quietly added.

 

Bucky froze. He watched her sat up and twirled the blanket as she bit her lips.

 

“Do you still like her?” She looked up at him. “I mean, it’s fine if you do. I can even help you if you want.” She smiled, pointing at the tiny box she bought with her. “I can make some kind of love potions and charms and even put a curse on people.” She shrugged.

 

Bucky watched her face contorted into an unreadable expression.

 

“I—“

 

“And then we could even stop this…whatever this was.”


	15. Chapter 15

It took him a few minutes to register what she was trying to say. His eyes were wide as he stared at the woman in front of him.

 

“I don’t understand.” He finally said.

 

[Y/N] looked up with a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

 

“Bucky, I can help you get back with Natasha if you want and we can end this… whatever this thing is.” She shrugged. “You know I can’t be your fake girlfriend for the rest of your life, right?”

 

 _Oh_. Bucky felt like his brain just short-circuited at the realization. He watched [Y/N]’s face contorted into an unreadable expression while she explained the charms she could make for him to get Natasha back. _I don’t_ —Bucky’s eyes darted between her and the door near him. There were so many things running through his mind but this—ending this relationship—this was never one of them. Until now.

 

“But why?” He helplessly asked. It was her turn to look at him with confused eyes.

 

“This is a fake relationship. It’s meant to end at some point.” She looked away from his grey eyes. “Don’t you think?”

 

“Yeah.” Bucky said after a long silence has passed. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh. “You’re right.”

 

He leaned back on the bed and rested his hands on his stomach, eyes fixed on the satin pouch he put on the study desk next to the closet. It took everything in him to push back the gnawing pain in his chest when Steve called him and he had to get out of the bedroom.

 

* * *

 

He thought this day couldn’t get any worse. He was so wrong. Bucky growled at the sight of the man in front of him. Brock _fucking_ Rumlow was standing in front of him with a smug smile Bucky wished he could wipe off with his fist.

 

“Hey, guys. Long time no see.”

 

“Really, Rumlow?” Steve rolled his eyes, his arms holding Bucky’s to make sure his best friend didn’t attack the guy.

 

Bucky rigidly stood between Steve and Sam, eyes hard with repressed anger.

 

“Oh come on. You know it was an accident! I even said sorry!” Brock raised his arms in surrender while making his way to the living room.

 

“I lost my fucking arm, you son of a bitch.” Bucky snapped.

 

“Well, look at my face.” Brock turned to him. “You don’t see me complaining about it, do you?”

 

“You brought it upon yourself.” Clint muttered.

Brock was about to come up with a reply when he noticed the unfamiliar woman coming out of Bucky’s room. His face split into a wicked grin as he pointed his finger at the woman.

 

“OH! Who could that be?” He made a turn and walked towards the woman, ignoring the scathing glare from Bucky and his friends.

 

“Don’t go near her.”

 

Brock stopped in his track for a moment to give Bucky a sly smirk.

 

“The rumor is true, after all. Bucky Barnes, the sad amputee, has a new girlfriend.” He drawled as he continued to approach her. “A pretty one too.”

 

“Rumlow, stop it.” Tony quietly said.

 

“Oh shush, Stark.” He extended his hand and gave the woman a smile. “What’s your name, darling?”

 

* * *

 

[Y/N] darted her eyes between Bucky’s furious expression and the stranger in front of her.

 

“[Y/N].” She replied with a hesitant smile.

 

“Lovely name for a lovely woman. I don’t know why you want to be with someone like him.” The guy chuckled as he continued to talk about Bucky, oblivious to how [Y/N]’s eyes darkened.

 

“Excuse me?” She asked him. She could see everyone’s surprised faces from her peripheral view and she would’ve shied away from them if it weren’t for this smug bastard’s answer.

 

“You could do so much better than him, darling. I can—“ his sentence was cut off when she connected her small fist to his jaw, sending him falling to the marble floor.

 

“She hates being called darling by strangers.” Bucky whispered to Steve.

 

“I can see that, Bucky.” Steve rolled his eyes, lips curling into a small smile when [Y/N]’s eyes widened in surprised.

 

“Oh god.” She squeaked. She quickly looked up at Bucky with panicked eyes. “I hit him.”

 

Natasha was the first one to move. She quickly approached her and gave [Y/N] a pat on her back while leading him away from Brock Rumlow.

 

“Good job, [Y/N]. Nice punch.” She complimented.

 

“You should stop looking at her with such loving eyes, Barnes. It’s sickening.” Tony mocked Bucky as he nudged Rumlow with his feet. “Get up and leave before Barnes punched you, Rumlow.”

 

 

Bucky shook his head and turned to Steve who just smiled at him.

 

“You’re really in love with her, huh?” he teased, letting Bucky go.

 

It was the first time in years Bucky found himself unable to come up with a reply.

 

* * *

 

“Who is that?” [Y/N] asked while Natasha checked her slightly swollen knuckles.

 

“Brock Rumlow. We used to be friends.” Natasha answered as she took out the first aid kit.

 

“What happened?” [Y/N] asked again, wincing a little when Natasha dabbed some ointment on her knuckles.

 

“You should ask Bucky for that.” Natasha flashed her a small smile. “All done.”

 

[Y/N] quietly thanked her and got off the counter. She was about to leave the kitchen when Natasha called her.

 

“Thank you for defending Bucky.” Natasha’s expression softened.

 

“He’s my boyfriend. It’s my job to protect him.” She grinned, ignoring the twist in her gut.

 


	16. Chapter 16

“Where’s [Y/N]?” Steve asked as he put the last bag into the car, eyes fixed on Bucky’s worried expression.

 

“I don’t know. She said she was going on a walk. But that was four hours ago.” Bucky sighed, pressing the dial icon for the tenth times. “She didn’t pick up her phone.”

 

“She’s really good for you, you know.” Steve said after a long pause. His lips twitched into a tiny smile when Bucky’s cheeks pinked a little. “You never called me in the middle of the night because of a nightmare anymore, did you notice that?”

 

Bucky sharply turned his head to face Steve, mouth agape. Steve let out a soft chuckle. He was about to speak when they heard rustling sound from outside the Villa. Bucky’s eyes widened at the sight of [Y/N]. He quickly approached her, eyes laced with concern.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked, automatically resting his left hand on her shoulder while his right hand went up to check the angry red mark on her face.

 

[Y/N] closed her eyes for a moment and let out a sigh. _How am I supposed to tell him? I knew it. I shouldn’t have gone out for a walk alone. What was I even thinking?_

 

“[Y/N]?” Bucky’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked up to him. A shaky smiled appeared on her face as she tried to come up with an explanation.

 

“I did something terrible.” She whispered. “Bucky this is really bad. I did something very very bad and it was on accident, I swear! I didn’t mean to but he was being an asshole and it just slipped out—“

 

“He? Who? Rumlow?” Bucky cut her off. His eyes went to the red mark on her cheek and it took everything in him to not march over to Rumlow’s place and beat the shit out of him. “Did he do this, [Y/N]?”

 

[Y/N] paused for a moment before realizing what he meant.

 

“Oh no, I slipped and fell when I was trying to get back here.” She sheepishly smiled.

 

“Okay.” Bucky nodded in relief. “So what did he do?”

 

* * *

_“I’m going for a walk.” She told him when Bucky asked her why she woke up at six in the morning. She gave him a tiny smile before she slipped out of the room and made her way out of the villa._

_She was enjoying the cool weather and the beautiful white sandy beach on her right when someone stopped her on her path. Her face turned into a scowl at the sight of Brock Rumlow. He was wearing yesterday’s black shirt and jeans and [Y/N] felt a little proud when she noticed his purplish jaw._

_“What?”_

_“Oh, come on. I’m sorry for being an asshole, okay. I’m trying to tone it down, really.” He pouted._

_“Yeah. You need to tone it down a million notch, Brock Rumlow.” [Y/N] rolled her eyes._

_Brock let out a huff of laughter and moved to stand in front of her, blocking her path._

_“I’m pretty sure you don’t know what happened to your precious boyfriend yet.” His grin widened when [Y/N] didn’t say anything. “I can tell you.”_

_“No, thank you. Now, would you mind? I want to continue my morning walk… ALONE.” She narrowed her eyes._

_“Fine. Just answer this one question.” Brock sighed. “What do you really see in him? He’s just a fucking nerd. You could do so much better, dear.”_

_[Y/N] tuned out the rest of his rambling, her eyes darkening in anger. The words slipped out of her lips even before she realized it._

_“What did you say?” Brock turned to her._

_“Oh shit.” She cursed out loud before running away from him._

* * *

 

“…. You put a curse on him.” Bucky repeated for the second time. He raised his eyebrows in amusement while [Y/N] mumbled another apology.

 

“I didn’t mean it, I swear. Okay, maybe I did mean it a little. He was such an asshole and I just—“ She helplessly flailed her arms.

 

“What kind of curse did you put on him?” Bucky wondered, lips twitching into a smile when [Y/N] let out a tiny squeak.

 

“Bad luck? It’s not that bad, I guess. But still.”

 

“He deserves it.” Bucky laughed and wrapped his arms around her. “Come on, everyone’s waiting for you.”

 

“You’re okay with this?” [Y/N] looked up at him.

 

“Of course! I’m more than okay.” Bucky beamed and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “This is great. He’s going to have bad luck for what? Seven years? That’d be a good revenge.”

 

She stiffened up and quickly drew herself away from him, face flushed red when Bucky stared at her in confusion. She watched Bucky slowly put down his hands, his eyes filled with hurt when he looked right at her.

 

“Sorry.” She mumbled before storming back inside the house, ignoring Steve’s befuddled expression as she walked past him.

 

* * *

 

“What was that?” Bucky turned around to see Steve walking towards him.

 

“Nothing.” He shook his head.

 

“Bucky.”

 

“It’s nothing.” Bucky repeated and made his way inside the car. “Tell the others we’re ready to leave. _Please_.”

 

Steve’s eyes were fixed on him for another minute before he finally let out a resigned sigh and walked back inside.

 


	17. Chapter 17

_The road back home was so fucking awkward._ Natasha could even cut the tension with a knife.

 

Her eyes were fixed on the couple sitting behind her and Clint. [Y/N] was staring outside the window while occasionally letting out a silent sigh. Bucky, on the other hand, looked like he was trying not to cry, for what Natasha didn’t know. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. _Did something happen? Something must have happened_. She thought as she watched the way Bucky clenched his jaw as he stole a glance at [Y/N].

 

No one dared to say anything. Natasha knew she probably should have asked Bucky what happened when [Y/N] mumbled a thank you and bolted out of the car the moment Steve parked the car in front of their apartment. She gave him a tiny smile instead and pulled him into a quick hug.

 

“See you later, Bucky.” She smiled before she went back inside the car.

 

Bucky watched the car disappeared around the next corner. He could feel dread slowly creeping in as he walked inside the building and ascended the stairs. Everything felt too heavy now. He let out a soft sigh, pausing in front of her door for a good minute, hoping she would open the door and tell him everything was just a prank and they’re okay. He stood in silence for five minutes before he dragged his feet to his apartment. _What happened?_ Bucky asked himself while he walked into his apartment.

 

He turned on the lights and let out a quiet breath. This place was so empty. He didn’t even realize how quiet and empty his apartment was until today. Nothing looked out of place except for the weirdly colored overthrow on the couch he has grown fond of and the box filled with jars of herbs neatly placed on the shelf to his right.

 

He set down his duffel bag near the couch and made his way towards the kitchen. There were tiny notes placed on the fridge, courtesy of [Y/N] and Bucky had to remind himself to not call her and playfully scold her for wasting so many post-it notes. Reminders, little doodles she drew him, mocking messages about his apartment, and –Bucky’s eyes stopped at one particular note. The note was a lot longer than the rest of them. He felt tears brimming in his eyes when he plucked it off the fridge and read it.

 

_‘I hope you won’t find this not but if you do, I hope you know how happy I am to have found you. Thank you. Love, [Y/N]. P.S. I stole your cookies.’_

 

Bucky let out a choked laugh and carefully stuck the note on a photo frame in the bookshelf.

 

* * *

 

Bucky woke up the next day with Nutmeg sitting on his back. She let out a scoffing noise as she plopped down next to him while he rolled on his back to face her.

 

“She left for work.” Meg said, as if reading his mind. Bucky let out a tiny humming noise before he closed his eyes again, hoping to sleep for another hour.

 

“I do have a question, though.” Meg’s scratchy voice rang in his ear, causing him to wince.

 

“What?” He asked.

 

“What happened? [Y/N] cried the whole night and she woke up with swollen eyes. She thought she could fool me but I know her. I can hear her crying in her bedroom, you know. Something must have happened during the weekend and if you hurt her I will claw your eyes out.”

 

“I didn’t hurt her okay. I don’t know what happened as well.” Bucky mumbled.

 

“Do you like her?” Meg asked him after a beat of silence. Bucky slowly turned to her and knitted his eyebrows in confusion.

 

“No?”

 

“You either do or you don’t.” Meg rolled her eyes. “Do you have feelings for her or not?”

 

Bucky looked away from the cat and exhaled loudly. Does he? He didn’t even know. She has become an integral part of his life and he didn’t even realize it and now this?

 

“I don’t know. I—“

 

“Both of you are stupid and I don’t know how you live for so long.” Meg mumbled, stepping on his stomach as she jumped to the wooden floor.

 

“Listen, Bucky.” Bucky sat up with taut jaw. Meg sat on the patio of the window with a sympathetic smile on her face. “Don’t wait until it’s too late.” She finished before leaving his apartment through the opened window.

 

“Don’t wait for what?!” He asked, scrambling off the bed to get to her. But she was gone by the time he reached the window. “Talking cats. Never make any fucking sense.” He mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose while he walked over to the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

Sam and Clint were already waiting for him when he arrived at the bookshop café for his shift. Clint was the first one to reach him. His face was filled with concern and Bucky felt a twinge of guilt when Clint gave him a comforting smile.

 

“Everything okay, man?”

 

Bucky flashed him a tight smile. _What was he supposed to say anyway?_ He thought to himself as he helped a customer with her books. _That he was in a fake relationship just so they would stop trying to set him up on dates and now there’s a huge chance they might break up and he’d lose his [Y/N]?_ Bucky’s eyes widened at the thought. _His [Y/N]._

 

“You should buy her flowers and apologize. That’s what I did when I made Nat mad.” Clint offered but Bucky was too stunned to process anything he said. Meg’s words rang in his ears as realization hit him.

 

“I love her.”

 

“What?” Sam walked over with a confused expression.

 

“I love [Y/N].”

 

“No shit. Wait—Why are you saying this?” Clint furrowed his eyebrows. “You’ve been dating for so long and you just realized this?”

 

Bucky turned to them with a weird smile on his face. “I am in love with [Y/N].”

 

Clint was still mumbling questions as he walked away but one look at Sam and Bucky knew the man knows what he was talking about. Sam gave him a pat on his back and a huge smile.

 

“That’s great, man. You should tell her.”

 

Bucky’s smile fell off his face. _Oh fuck_.


	18. Chapter 18

It never occurred to him how alone he was before [Y/N] until she stopped visiting his place. Maybe it did, but he was too busy spending his time with her to notice the loneliness he was starting to feel again. Sam and Clint provided a great distraction when he was at work, which was nice. But even in his distracted mind, he still wondered about how [Y/N] was doing.

 

Bucky let out a quiet sigh as he stepped into his shower. He let the warm water hit his face and felt his body relaxed a fraction. _I loves her_ , he wistfully thought as he lather his body with the soap. His eyes caught the tropical-fruit-scented shower gel sitting next to his citrusy shower gel bottle and Bucky felt a little twist in his heart. _I also miss her very much,_ he muttered as he closed his eyes.

 

He also didn’t realize how much her stuff was in his apartment until today. He stared at the colorful hair ties he found on the little cabinet above the sink and the second toothbrush sitting right next to his, his lips slowly curled into a small smile. Even his bedroom has something of hers, he realized. He took note of the huge plush she always used for a pillow whenever she came by for a movie night and the little trinkets she left by the nightstand.

 

 _Tomorrow. He would talk to her tomorrow and let her know how he feels_ ; he made a mental promise as he lay down on the bed. He would kiss her and tell her how much she means for him, Bucky added as he fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

 

* * *

 

[Y/N] let out a frustrated groan as she searched her drawers, ignoring Meg’s amused look.

 

“You left your stuff in his apartment.” Meg mused.

 

“No, I don’t.” [Y/N] mumbled.

 

“Oh really? Where’s that pretty earing of yours, then? Or that ring you loved so much? It’s in his bedroom, I bet.” Meg snickered.

 

[Y/N] huffed and threw herself on the bed. How was she supposed to get her stuff now? She thought. Half of her stuff is in his apartment and half of his is in hers. They weren’t even in a real relationship, for heaven’s sakes. Why are they so domesticated? She grumbled to herself.

 

“You ought to know that you also left a lot of your books in his apartment.” Meg’s face was filled with glee as she watched [Y/N] let out a long whine.

 

“I can’t do this, Meg.” She told her cat.

 

“Don’t be stupid.” Meg trudged over to the bed and stretched out her body. “You can. Just see him and tell him how you feel. Simple as that.”

 

“I think he still loves Natasha.”

 

“For fuck’s sakes. You are stupider than I thought. Everyone is stupider than I thought.” Meg muttered as she curled up on the cool pillow.

 

* * *

 

It took him a week before he finally saw her again. She was standing in front of his apartment and Bucky thought she looked adorable with her confused expression and pouty lips. Meg sat on the couch and gave him a look.

 

“She has been standing there for fifteen minutes, I thought you should know.” She explained. “You should probably invite her in and tell her how much you love her and kiss her and stuff. You know, what you icky humans usually do.”

 

He stared at her in confusion. [Y/N] has been avoiding him like the plague for the past week and she just showed up like nothing happened? He wondered.

 

“I hid her favorite ring in your apartment. See? I can be nice and helpful.”

 

“ _Christ_.”

 

* * *

 

 

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. [Y/N] closed her eyes for a moment and let out a sigh. She should probably print that on a huge ass poster and put it in her room as a reminder to not do stupid things like this because look what it got her. _Why did she think it was a good idea anyway? Did she actually think she would be able to act nonchalantly when she saw his face?_

 

“[Y/N]?” She opened her eyes and gave him an awkward smile. _Oh god, he’s so gorgeous. I’ve never noticed how pretty his eyes were befor—FOCUS._

“Oh hi. I just… I was going to see if I’ve left my earrings in your apartment.”

 

“Meg said you’ve been standing in front of the door for 15 minutes.” He smiled, eyes lighting up when [Y/N] muttered a curse word. “Come on in.”

 

“No… it’s—Nevermind. It’s not that important anyway.” She shook her head. “I’ll—I have to go. See you.” She hurriedly said before running down the stairs, leaving Bucky alone in the hallway.

 

“Yeah, you did a great job at making her not nervous at all. Great job. I’d give you two thumbs up if I have human hands.”

 

“Okay, you need to tone down that sass, Meg.” Bucky rolled his eyes as he closed the door.

 

* * *

 

[Y/N] was too busy running down the stairs to notice the man in front of her. It wasn’t until she ran into him and almost sending both of them toppling to the first floor (and to their deaths) did she see who he was.

 

“Oh god, Steve. I’m so sorry.” She apologized.

 

“It’s fine. Why are you in a hurry?” He frowned in confusion.

 

“I need to go get…something.” She lamely made an excuse.

 

“You’re not wearing any shoes.”

 

“Goddammit.” She sighed. “Thanks for telling me.”

 

“Come on, we could go up together.” He smiled. “You can even join me and Bucky for our lunch.”

 

“Uhh… I have a thing with my friend.. Meg. Yeah, Meg is my friend and we’re going to do… stuff.” She rambled.

 

“Steve?” Both of them looked up and found Bucky standing at the top of the stairs.

 

“Hey, Buck. I was just asking [Y/N] if she wanted to join us for lunch but she had a meeting with her friend, Meg.”

 

Bucky turned to [Y/N] and his lips quirked upwards. She fought the urge to roll her eyes when Bucky approached them with that smile she hated so much.

 

“Oh yeah, her friend, Meg.” He drawled. “Have fun with Meg, doll.”


	19. Chapter 19

 

“So… you’ve made up with her, then?” Steve beamed at Bucky when [Y/N] finally went back to her place. Bucky shrugged as he walked out of the building.

 

“This is great! You guys looked so sad last week and I thought it was done for good.” Steve clapped Bucky’s back enthusiastically.

 

“Me too.” Bucky quietly mumbled.

 

“Nat was going to kill you if you didn’t make up with [Y/N].” Steve said as they walked inside the diner, oblivious to Bucky’s incredulous look. “She really loves [Y/N]. She probably will trade you for her if you broke up for real.” Steve grinned.

 

“That’s nice to know.” Bucky rolled his eyes.

 

Steve’s expression softened as he watched Bucky read the menu. This was a whole new Bucky. _No, this is the old Bucky,_ he thought with a smile on his face.

 

“I am starving. Listen. I just want to eat my body weight of pancakes right now. I’m doing something impor—what is it?” Bucky finally looked up.

 

“Nothing. You look happy.” Steve shrugged as he tried to decide what he wants to eat. “It’s nice to see you happy. I guess you must’ve really love [Y/N].”

 

There was a beat of silence before Steve heard Bucky cleared his throat. “Shut up, punk.”

 

Steve let out a loud laugh when he looked up and saw the blush on Bucky’s cheeks.

 

* * *

 

“Lavender… Lavender… Lavender…” [Y/N] mumbled as she read the same word for the tenth time.

 

“I swear to God I’m going slapped everything off the counter if you say lavender one more time.” Meg lazily said, tails swishing in irritation.

 

“This is a bad idea.” [Y/N] looked at her. “I can’t give him this. Why did I think of this?” She looked back at the herbs and tiny stones she has gathered the past hours.

 

“I love you, [Y/N]. You took me in when I was cursed into a cat and I owe you my life. But you need to go to his apartment, see him and give him a breath-taking kiss. Cause I am so close to dropping a dead mouse on your pillow. And maybe while I’m at it, I’ll also shred the couch and lick my butt before I clean all the forks and spoon with my tongue.” She sat on the counter and stared at [Y/N]. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay. Kiss him and tell him you love him. You better tell him tomorrow or I will do all the things I just tell you.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” [Y/N] nodded.

 

“Good. I have to leave the apartment now. Please open the window.”

 

* * *

 

Bucky dropped the gallon of milk and managed to break the plastic, causing the milk to get all over his jeans and the floor. He let out a resigned sigh.

 

“MEG!” He yelled.

 

“Yes?” The cat replied with her scratchy voice as she leapt onto the couch.

 

Bucky closed his eyes for a moment before he turned to the cat who was leisurely laying on the couch. _His_ couch.

 

“Is…. Is that a dead mouse… on my refrigerator?” He asked.

 

“Yeah. It’s a gift.” Meg opened her eyes. “You know how cats are. We give gifts cause we’re nice like that.”

 

“Why?” He asked. This cat is going to be the death of me, he thought.

 

“It’s a gift for being a dense motherfucker.” She jumped off the couch when Bucky stayed on his spot, his mouth agape. “I will give you more dead mice and I’ll shred your precious leather jacket if you don’t go out there and tell [Y/N] you love her.”

 

“I was going to tell her.” He mumbled. “She slammed the door in my face when she saw me. Are you sure she even likes me back? Cause I feel like she hates me now.”

 

“My dense-but-handsome child, she’ll be happy to know you love her. She thought you love a Natasha. Besides, she gave you too many charms and happiness runes. That says a lot.”

 

Bucky pressed his lips into a thin line before he exhaled loudly. He wiped the milk with the cloth he grabbed from the kitchen cabinet and cleaned up the floor before he walked back to his room.

 

“Where are you going?!”

 

“I’m not going to tell [Y/N] I love her with milk-soaked jeans.” He yelled back. “Jesus Christ, that cat really needs to chill.”

 

“I CAN HEAR THAT.”

 

* * *

 

He didn’t go to her apartment that night. He needed to do this the right way. Flowers, chocolate, and a good dinner probably. So he gathered his courage and told Meg he will do it tomorrow before he ran back to his bedroom, ignoring Meg’s nagging voice as she left his room through his bedroom window. _If she’s going to leave a fucking dead mouse, so be it. I need to buy flowers for this kind of thing. I’m not going to confess in fucking pajamas._ Bucky grumbled to himself.

 

 

His dreamless sleep was interrupter by the frantic tap on the window a few hours later. Bucky blearily opened his eyes and groaned when he saw the time. His eyes slowly focused on the feline figure standing outside his window.

 

“This better be important, Meg. It’s two a.m.” He rubbed his face and let out a sigh.

 

“It is. Did you smell that? Something’s burning in the apartment, I think.” Meg panicked voice woke him up in a matter of seconds. His eyes widened when he noticed smoke coming out of her window.

 

“What the hell?”

 

“You need to go to our place and help her, Bucky.” Meg’s wide eyes stared back at him in fear and Bucky swore the cat was crying.

 

“Y-yeah. Wait here.” He frowned as he put on his shirt and ran out of his apartment.

 

* * *

 

“OH MY GOD. WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?” She screamed and pulled the blanket to cover her body. She scrunched her nose and turned to the window. “Why is there a burnt incense in my window?”

 

“Meg said there was a fire in your apartment—That little shit.” Bucky sighed.

 

[Y/N] got out of the bed and made her way to the window. She quickly put away the incense and opened the window to let the smoke out before she turned around to face him. He looked like a lost puppy, she thought. His metal prosthetic arm glinted under the moonlight and she felt a little twist in her heart when he massaged his left shoulder with his right hand. _Does it hurt?_ I hope it doesn’t. It’s—

 

“[Y/N]?” His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

 

“Sorry. Yeah. I—How did you get in?” She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. She watched blush creeping up his cheeks as he ran his fingers through his hair.

 

“Yeah… about that… you’re going to need a new door.” He sheepishly smiled.

 

There was a moment of silence before realization finally dawned on her. She took a few steps towards her bedroom door and let out a gasp.

 

“I can’t believe broke the door.”

 

“Well, I’m sorry. I thought the girl I love is dying and I didn’t have the time to pick up the stupid locks—what?” He paused mid-sentence when he saw her expression.

 

“You said the girl I love.” She mumbled.

 

Bucky sighed. He has been doing that a lot lately, he thought as he rubbed his temple in exasperation.

 

“It wasn’t supposed to go this way.” He replied. His face fell when she didn’t say anything. “Hey, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I’m—“

 

“Iloveyoutoo.” She blurted out and looked up with bright eyes that made his heart skipped a beat.

 

His face slowly bloomed into happiness when he finally caught what she said. He smiled widely as he took a few steps to close the distance between them.

 

“Say that again, doll?”

  
“I’m not going to say it again!” She blushed.

 

Bucky fondly chuckled and gently brushed loose hair away from her face. “God, you’re so beautiful.” He whispered, eyes slowly darting towards her lips.

 

“Will you just kiss already?” Both of them jumped in surprise and turned their heads towards the cat who was sitting on the bed.

 

“Okay, you need to leave the room.” Bucky grinned, picking up the cat and dropping her right outside [Y/N]’s bedroom. He closed the door and walked back to [Y/N] who seemed to stunned to move.

 

“So…” [Y/N] blinked a couple of times and gave him an awkward smile. “You like me.”

 

“I love you.” He corrected with a smile.

 

“That’s good. Yeah. That’s really good. Cause I like you to. No, I mean I love you too. I—“ her sentence was cut when Bucky gently pressed his lips against her. Her eyes slowly fluttered close and she could feel his hands on her waist as he pulled her closer to deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a small sigh the pulled away a moment later.

 

“You talk too much.” He muttered against her lips.                                                      

 

“Your lips feel nice.” She blurted out. Bucky’s shoulders shook as he tried to hold back his laughter.

 

“Never change, [Y/N]. Never change.” He fondly smiled before kissing her lips again.

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

She was woken up the next morning by a gentle kiss on her temple. _Ah, this is so warm_ —She froze in shock for a moment, memories of last night’s event slowly coming back to her. The accidental confession, the kiss. _Oh my god, the kiss_. She could feel heat rising up her cheeks as she finally realized why she was so warm. She could feel his chuckle reverberated in his chest as he pulled her closer.

 

“I know you’re awake, [Y/N]. Your face is adorably red.” He spoke in a hushed tone before dissolving into giggles when she snapped her eyes open and winced at the harsh sunlight.

 

“My eyes.” She groaned and buried her face against his chest, her voice muffled as she snuggled closer to him. Bucky let out a loud laugh as he gently stroke her back.

 

“Does it hurt?” She quietly asked when she finally looked up. Bucky’s eyes trailed down to his prosthetic arm before he flashed her a smile.

 

“Not really, no. Tony has great technology and he made sure this… this would not hurt. It does give you sore muscle sometimes, though.” He shrugged.

 

“You didn’t take it off last night.” She gently traced her fingers along his metal arm, smiling a little when his cheeks slowly pinked. She could even hear his rapid heartbeat beneath her ear as she waited for his reply.

 

“Well, I want to hug you.” He mumbled, looking away from her eyes. There was a long silence before Bucky spoke out again. “It doesn’t freak you out?” This time with a hesitant voice that was very unlike him. She felt his body tensed when she glanced at his metal arm.

 

“Your arm?” She frowned on confusion. “It’s an arm, Bucky. Why would I be freaked out?”

 

Bucky shrugged his shoulders, his thumb making circular pattern on her back, tension slowly leaving his body. “I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of telling you how much I love you.” He mumbled into her hair.

 

Her lips slowly curled into a fond smile as she raised her head to kiss his lips.

 

“Can you feed me now that you’re done with all the mushy stuff?”

 

* * *

 

“You can make incense and do your witchcraft but you can’t cook.” Bucky snickered. “Unbelievable.”

 

“You burned that toast, Bucky.” She playfully shoved him as she walked over to the dining table with two bowls of instant noodles on her hands.

 

“Yeah, but at least I can make perfect omelets.”

 

“My burnt egg begs to differ.” She pointed her chopstick at the slightly burnt egg on the plate in front of her.

 

Bucky scowled at her and sat across her. “You distract me.” He muttered as he deliciously slurped his noodles. It was her turn to snicker at him, shutting up with a mischievous smile when he gave her a look.

 

“So, what do you want to do today?” Bucky asked after they finished their meals. She stopped washing her bowl and looked up in uncertainty.

 

“Nothing. I know what you need to do today, though.” She pointed her chin at the broken door. “Fixing my poor door after your failed heroic attempt.” She finished and burst into giggle fits.

 

“You’re never letting that go, aren’t you?” He sighed, helping her put the clean plates and bowls on the drying rack.

 

“Nope.” She said, popping the p and smiled at him. “You made fun of me for months when I thought you were a lost spirit.”

 

“That was really funny.” He laughed. “The weird smell was really worth it. I can never forget your face when you realized how badly you fucked up.”

 

“Oh shut up.” She rolled her eyes.

 

“And besides, I consider it a win.” He shrugged, lips twitching into a smile. “I get to see you in your weird pajamas.” He tugged the sleeves of her pajama shirts with dinosaur patterns all over it, his eyes glinting in amusement when she blushed again.

 

“I should’ve burned this years ago.” She quietly muttered to herself.

 

Their little moments were suddenly interrupted by rapid knocking sound. Bucky knitted his eyebrows as he made his way out of the kitchen, his curious expression turned into a scowl when he saw Clint and Sam standing with huge grins on their faces.

 

“Rough night, Barnes?” Clint wiggled his eyebrows.

 

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Barton.” He rolled his eyes. “What are you doing in here?” His eyes went to the box Clint was holding. “What is that?”

 

“We wanted to give [Y/N] some stuff.” Sam shrugged. “We’re best pals now, Barnes. Didn’t you know that?” He continued as he walked inside the apartment.

 

“Nat and Steve will be here in 10. They had to finish their classes first.” Clint added as he trailed behind Sam. “Hey, [Y/N]! We brought you some new weird books you love so much!”

 

Bucky rubbed his face with his right hand and let out a resigned sigh before joining his friends in the kitchen.

 


	21. Epilogue

Nutmeg hated people.

 

Bucky was fine. She loved Bucky. The guy was so head over heels for [Y/N] and she knew he’d be a good person for her best friend. She also liked spending times with the guy. He gave her a lot of nice food and let her sleep on his couch and his bed whenever she wants.

 

“Oh, you’re such a beautiful cat.” The red-haired lady smiled as she crouched down to her level. She slowly reached out her hand and scratched the back of her ear, which felt heavenly. “I wish I can have a cat. Clint is a dog person and we already have a huge dog at home.” The woman sighed.

 

Nutmeg decided she loves the red-haired lady that turned out to be _the_ Natasha. She was very graceful and she understood cats. Nutmeg liked that. The handsome man with blonde hair was also nice. He reminded her of a golden retriever she used to chase around. Nutmeg would never admit it out loud but she liked it when this human golden retriever whose name was Steve gently scooped her into his arms and gave her a hug.

 

“Your cat is so lovely.” Steve smiled as he carried the cat to the living room. “I’m going to come over more often to see her. What’s her name?” Nutmeg watched Bucky burst into laughter while [Y/N] blushed.

 

“Meg.”

 

Steve stayed quiet for a moment before he laughed along. “Yeah, I’d say no to lunch with anyone if I have a cat like her.”

 

See? This was why she loved Steve. Steve was a great. He also made a promise to bring more food and snacks for her the next time he visits her.

 

She could probably tolerate the other guy with weird moustache and a nice smile. His name was Sam Wilson. He was loud and he cooed at her. She almost rolled her eyes and had to stop herself from telling him she was not a baby. She also had to resist the urge to claw his face when he picked her up from the couch and twirled her around.

 

Okay, that was not entirely true. She did sink her claws on his arms and jumped back onto the couch with a smug look when Sam turned to her with a betrayed look on his face.

 

“What the hell, man. I thought you like me.” Sam said with an aghast expression.

 

“You twirled her around. I’d claw your face if I was her.” Natasha quipped.

 

Nutmeg really loved Natasha. She probably would come over to her house and play with her if it weren’t for that man.

 

Clint Barton.

 

Nutmeg had just met the guy and she already loath him. He didn’t bother to crouch down to pet her or give her a smile. He just stared at her and walked past her like she was an ordinary stray cat. He didn’t even want to sit near her on the couch, opting to sit on the carpeted floor instead.

 

She knew she shouldn’t be this petty and that [Y/N] and Bucky would scold her when they found out. But she was so annoyed with this Clint Barton she couldn’t think straight. She quietly trailed behind him when he got up to grab some beers from Bucky’s apartment. Everyone was busy conversing with each other to notice her absence. The poor guy didn’t even notice she was following him to Bucky’s apartment.

 

She leapt on the kitchen counter and quietly watched Clint tried to find the bottle opener. She probably should’ve been the bigger person (cat?) but her ego took over when she saw his face.

 

“It’s in the second drawer to the left, Clint Barton.”

 

She would be lying if she said she didn’t love the terrified look on Clint’s face when he heard her.

 

“What the fuck?”

 

“The bottle opened is in the second drawer to the left.” She lay down on her side and watched him gaping like a fish.

 

“Holy shit. You can talk. Cats don’t talk. What the hell.”

 

Her grin widened. “Yes I can talk.” She licked her front paw and looked up. “Go on, try telling your friends and see if they believe you.”

 

Clint looked at her before he sprinted back to [Y/N]’s apartment.

 

 

 

It was worth the hour-long rant [Y/N] and Bucky gave her later that evening.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :D


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